Forgetting a Star
by learningtowrite1996
Summary: Darry wakes up one morning to find that no one remembers who Ponyboy Curtis is. It's as if his kid brother has never existed. But Darry hasn't forgotten, and will do anything to find him. Anything.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! So this is a brand new idea that I just came up with. Read it and give me what you think in a review! Thank you so much :)**

Forgetting a Star

Pony really had been doing better. He still hadn't forgotten Johnny and Dallas; no one would. But the whole accident had been six months ago, and Pony was looking more like a real high-schooler every day. He had written his English theme and passed the class with a fine enough grade.

Him and I have been getting along pretty well, I'm pleased to say. We still fight every now and again, but I've cooled down a lot, and he is growing up more every day. But last night, we had our first major fight in five months.

I really don't know what was the matter with me. I guess I was really tired, because my day at work had been long and stressful. And a stressful day at work doesn't mix well with a little brother walking in the door with blood gushing out of his obviously broken nose. Pony has been going out a lot more with some kids from school. Kids that are older than him and have cars. I don't like it one bit. And last night proved why.

"What happened?" I cried, getting up from off the couch. Soda followed at my heels. Pony's eyes were big and scared.

"Car accident." he whispered. Something in my stomach dropped. What a bad choice of words. He should have been a little more discreet. I grabbed him by the shoulders, not gently.

"What do you mean a car accident?" I growled, shaking him. His eyes flickered to Soda for support. I grabbed his chin so he would be looking at me.

"The – the guys I was with were drunk – " he started. Soda gave a little groan, and something snapped inside me. My fingers clenched menacingly around his shoulders. I saw him wince.

"They – they slammed into a pole. I wasn't wearing my seat belt, so I slammed into the seat in front of me. But it wasn't my fault, and I'm not too badly hurt. So – so the cops drove me home."

At the word _cops_ I threw him from me. He was driving with drunks! An image of Ponyboy, splattered across the road in a pool of blood flashed in my mind, making me sick. Unfortunately, that sick feeling came out in the wrong way.

Pony stumbled from me throwing him so hard. Soda caught him and looked at me warningly. But I ignored his glance.

"What is the matter with you? Don't you ever think of anyone but yourself? The cops were there! They could take you and Soda away! Does that even register with you? Soda's got a job, and he'd lose it if he was put in a boy's home!" I yelled. Color flushed in Pony's cheeks.

"Oh, poor Soda! I'm the one that was just in a car accident! But you don't care," he scoffed. "Why would you care?"

"At least Soda has enough sense not to go driving around with drunks!"

Pony laughed. "Bullshit! Soda probably was the drunk! He isn't perfect, and neither am I!"

And for the second time in the past year, I hit Ponyboy, right across the face. But this time, I didn't stop immediately after and gaze at my hand in horror. I grabbed him by the upper arms and yanked him over to me.

"You watch your mouth. Don't you _ever_ curse at me." I said. The angry streak was over, and the hot, horrible feeling was beginning in my stomach. Right then, I hated myself and my quick temper more than anything in the entire world. Pony's eyes were huge and slowly filling with tears. Soda was at my side in a flash, prying my fingers from his arms.

"Let him go, Darry," said Soda. He did not sound happy with me. "Let him go, now."

I let go and turned away. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Soda gingerly touching Pony's broken nose, and the cheek that I had slapped. Pony flinched in pain. I felt like bawling. But of course, instead of crying, my fear of having my kid brother slaughtered in an accident came out in anger.

"Just go to bed, Pony," I said in a quiet, uncaring voice. "Right now, to bed. You're grounded."

Pony pulled away from Soda, tears still in his eyes. He marched off into his room without a word to either of us. As soon as his door slammed, Soda started on me.

"Why would you do that? Do you really think that is what he needed after a night like that? He probably had to wait out there in the cold for hours being tested if he was drunk, and cleared to go home. His nose probably really hurts, and you giving him a bitching slap will just make it worse!"

I whirled around to face him. Shock, but not fear crossed his face. I couldn't scare Soda like I scared Pony.

"What?" Soda whispered. "Gonna hit me too for cursing, Darry? Do it, I don't care. But you do, I know you do. You care so much that you can't even handle it. That's why you yell at Pony. Because you care. Get over it Darry. If you're gonna love him, show it. Don't be all conflicted." And he marched away from me too, into Pony's room. I stood there in the living room, shell-shocked.

I dragged myself over to the sofa and plopped down onto it. I felt prickling heat around my neck and ears. I sat there on the couch, and heard Soda and Pony speaking softly in their room. Soda came out once and got a wet towel for Pony's bleeding face. But he didn't speak to me, and he never came out again. A few times it sounded like Pony was crying. I couldn't muster the energy to get up off of the couch and go into my own bed. So I laid down right there, still in my work clothes, and fell into a fitful sleep. The clock said 11:45. Thank God tomorrow was Sunday.

When I woke up, everything still felt really hazy and strange. Light was streaming in through the window. I wondered if the day before had really happened, and if I had really slapped Pony again. The house seemed extremely quiet. It almost felt eerie too. Like someone had been there without my knowledge. I got up from the couch, and proceeded over to Pony and Soda's room. The door was open halfway. It had been shut completely last night.

I slipped through the door and found Soda sleeping in his bed. He looked peaceful. The room was extremely messy, which I found strange because Pony usually kept it very clean. Except for when he was sick.

I sat on the edge of the bed. The clock said 11:45. That was funny. It was the exact time I had fallen asleep. I was amazed that both me and Soda had slept for a full twelve hours. I guess we really needed it.

"Hey Soda," I said quietly, shaking his shoulder. I hated to wake him up, but I needed to know where Pony was. "Wake up buddy."

Soda's eyes flickered open. He stretched and looked up at me blearily.

"Hey Darry," he said. "You need something?" His voice was kind, and genuine. I was a little taken aback that he didn't sound hostile.

"Yeah, do you know where Pony is by any chance?" I said, my throat becoming tight. "I – I need to talk to him."

Soda sat up and looked at me a little funny. "Pony? What Pony?"

"Ponyboy." I said. He still looked like he didn't understand.

"That's a funny name Darry. Who's Ponyboy?"

**Please review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Everyone is so kind! Seriously, the reviews I received were very wonderful, and made me happy. Thank you so, so much :)**

Forgetting a Star

I tilted my head to the side and considered Sodapop for a moment. He didn't look sick at all. In fact, he looked rather healthy. His face was serious, so he wasn't playing a prank. I felt his forehead to see if it was warm.

"What're you doing Darry?" Soda asked, pulling my hand away. I smiled a half-smile, kind of thinking everything to be a joke.

"Checking if you're sick, little buddy. What do you mean 'who's Ponyboy'?"

"I mean what I say," said Soda, kicking off the covers and getting out of bed. "I've never heard of anyone being named Ponyboy on my entire life. That's – kinda a freaky name if you ask me."

I followed him earnestly as he walked out of the bedroom. That sticky, hot feeling was coming around my ears again.

"Look Soda," I began. My eyes prickled. "I'm really sorry about last night. I was being stupid, and take full responsibility. And I really want to tell Ponyboy that. Just tell me where he is, okay?"

Soda stopped pulling the chocolate milk out of the fridge by the time I was finished talking. He shut the door and turned to face me full-on. He scrutinized my face.

"My God," he whispered. "You're not joking. I can see it in your face. You're really asking where this boy is?"

"Soda!" I practically yelled, stamping my foot. This was really getting tiring. "Your _brother_! Ponyboy Michael Curtis. I'm asking where he is so I can apologize to him!"

Soda opened his mouth to retort, but just then the front door slammed open. Two-Bit and Steve walked in, laughing and pushing each other. They stopped short a little when they saw Soda looking completely confused and me, probably red in the face and frustrated.

"Everything okay?" Two-Bit asked carefully. Soda looked at me skeptically. I didn't say yes, or no. I just stayed silent. Soda shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess so. Darry's just being – " He looked at me again and bit his lip. I didn't know exactly what to do.

"Well, hurry and go get dressed. School starts in a few." said Steve. Soda nodded, bouncing on his heels.

_Soda, going to school?_ I thought to myself. "Wait!" I called as he went back towards his room. "You – you're going to school?"

Steve and Two-Bit laughed, and Soda spun around, looking gleeful. "You mean I don't have to go?"

"Well – I – I, you dropped out! You've been out of school for a year now! I didn't ever think that you would go back."

"Darry, I never dropped out of school. Honestly, this is why I keep begging you to let me work at that DX gas station. I think you're cracking up from working too hard." Soda said, looking concerned and joking at the same time.

"I dunno. The man may not be too confused. You ditch enough, that you might as well be a dropout." said Two-Bit, grinning wickedly.

"Shut up, Keith." said Soda. I widened my eyes at the mention of Two-Bit's real name. But he didn't seem too surprised at the change. He actually didn't seem to care at all.

"You mean, Two-Bit – right Soda?" I asked a little desperately. The three boys simultaneously looked at me. Soda's eyebrows were raised so high that they were hidden by the greasy hair that fell in his eyes.

"Seriously Darry, what is the matter with you?" Soda said. I opened and closed my mouth like a goldfish. If this was some sort of stupid trick for me being a jerk last night, it had gone far enough.

"What is the matter with _you_ Soda?" I exploded. He took a little step back. "What is going on? Why are you going to school, why did you call Two-Bit Keith and where the hell is Ponyboy?"

"Darry," Soda said weakly. "I really don't know what you're talking about. I've talked about dropping out a lot, because I hate school. But mom and dad never would even talk about it. And you wont let me either. I don't think we've ever called Keith Two-Bit ever. Where did that come from?"

I swallowed. "We've always called him Two-Bit."

Steve and Two-Bit looked at each other. They looked a little nervous. Like I was a crazy person. But it wasn't me. It was them. They were the ones being strange and changing everything.

"What about Ponyboy?" I begged. Soda shook his head and I felt like punching a wall.

"I don't know who that is, Dar." he said. I clamped my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming.

"Our kid brother, Soda." I said in a level tone, one I had gained some control. "He's going to be fifteen in July. He's got reddish hair and green eyes. He likes to to read books, and he is so smart that he skipped a grade. Soda, our brother – "

"I'll call your boss today, man," Soda said, crossing over to our phone. "You're not feeling well. You look really pale. Just stay in bed today while I'm gone, okay? Don't leave your bed."

"Soda, no – "

"Don't argue with me Darry. I'm not letting you go to work rambling on about some little kid with a weirdo name."

"I AM NOT RAMBLING!" I cried, rushing to the kitchen, but stopping before I could grab the phone Soda was dialing. The calendar on our fridge caught my eye. Instead of it saying June, it said September. September of last year.

"Why is this on September, 1965?" I asked. Soda started talking on the phone, so Steve took over.

"Cause that's the date, man," he said, walking over to me. "It's September twenty-third."

I stared at the calendar. September twenty-third of last year was today. I felt a sick swoop in my stomach. That was the day that both Johnny and Dallas died. September twenty-third was a day impossible to forget.

Right on that thought, those two exact people came walking through the door that they hadn't walked through in half of a year. Dally came in the house with his white-blonde hair falling in his eyes. He had Johnny by the elbow.

"Hey, could Johnny and I have a ride? My car broke down outside." said Dally. I sucked in a deep shuddering breath and slid down the fridge onto the floor.

**I hope you're confused somewhat. That's what I'm aiming for ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys :) So I've realized through my own knowledge and a few reviews that I do indeed have the timing off in this story. So I've gone back and replaced the chapters, fixing things so the timing, and Pony's birthday would match with the book. Go check it out if you would like, and tell me if you think it is correct :)**

**Sorry for being such an idiot, and remember that I'm still learning to write. Hence, my name :)**

Forgetting a Star

"Take a deep breath in, Darry."

"You'll be all right, just calm down."

"Glory, is he all right?"

"Here, try and get him to drink this."

Voices blurred all around me. I took in short, staggered breaths. My hands shook and my vision went foggy. Whenever Dally or Johnny would move, I would instantly jump. Their ghosts frightened me, and I wondered why the others weren't also amazed by the reappearance of the two boys that had been five feet under for six months.

My mind worked frantically, trying to understand everything. If Johnny and Dallas were alive, then that would mean that Johnny had never run away. If Johnny never ran away, then he would never have been killed by the fire. And if Johnny was never killed, then Dallas never would have committed suicide. But for Johnny to not have run away, that would mean Pony couldn't have run away. And if Pony didn't exist, then that would be a sure fact.

The blood in my veins ran cold at the thought of Ponyboy not existing. Being dead was one nightmare, but literally ceasing to _be_ was unfathomable. I forced myself to pull it together, and calm down. My mind switched into its determined mode. The same mode it switched in when my parents died. I decided right after I learned the news of their passing that I would do whatever I could to keep my family together. And I succeeded. Now I was determined to do whatever I could to find out what happened to Ponyboy. The obsession coursed through me, and erased my fear. The confusion was still there, but being afraid was not.

"I'm okay," I said suddenly, pushing everyone away from me. I got up off the floor by the fridge. The five boys took steps away from me. I don't think I've ever collapsed before in front of them.

"Honestly guys, I just got really lightheaded. I'll be fine, if I just rest some today." I told them. They looked a little skeptical. Then Soda nodded.

"Okay Dar," he said. "Do you want me to come home at lunch – "

"No," I said a little quickly. "No, you – you go to school," I said to him. The phrase "go to school" felt weird on my lips, being said to Soda.

I went into my room and shut the door, showing the boys that I was going to rest and lay down. Johnny said goodbye to me quietly, but I didn't say goodbye back. I was too surprised at hearing the voice that I thought I wouldn't hear until I got to heaven. As soon as the front door slammed shut, I jumped out of bed and ran back out in the hallway. I wanted to have the house all to myself so I could inspect it.

All I needed was some solid proof. I knew in my heart that Ponyboy was definitely a real person. If I could just find something that showed that, I could progress from there. A picture, something he had written, his journal, anything that had been touched by him. I went right over to the piano and took the picture of our entire family. When I brought the frame close enough to see, I nearly dropped it. The picture was just like it always had been, except the little Ponyboy in the middle had vanished. I grabbed for the other picture resting on the piano and discovered the same thing. It was a picture of our entire gang. Everything looked mostly the same, except for Ponyboy was no longer playfully on my back. I was standing straight, with my arms crossed over my chest.

I searched the rest of the house for any sign that another fourteen-year-old boy was living, or had lived there. But every picture that had once shown Ponyboy, now had him deleted. I searched the room that he and Soda shared, because of his nightmares. But it seemed now to just be Soda's room. Soda's clothes were scattered all over the floor. The only reading material to be found were some cheap-looking magazines. No think, heavy books, or notebooks filled with drawings. I searched under the bed for a piece of paper that Pony had maybe written on, but didn't see one. Frantic, I went into the other bedroom that used to be Soda's back in the house that made sense. But it just had one neat little bed in the corner, that I guessed visitors slept in. The floor was completely clean. I opened the closet to find boxes stacked up high. I shoved one out that said _Important Paperwork_ in my mother's loopy handwriting. Inside was my parent's marriage certificate, some house papers, some official-looking permission slips, and two birth certificates. Just two. One for Darryl Shane Curtis, and one for Sodapop Patrick Curtis. I dug through the entire box at least ten times, but there was nothing for my other brother.

Tears started to fall down my face in hot rivers. And I didn't even bother to wipe them off, or pretend like I wasn't confused out of my mind. No one knew who Ponyboy was; only me. And by the looks of things, he really didn't exist. Soda was still in school, Johnny and Dally were still alive, and people were calling Two-Bit Keith. With a jolt, I remembered that Pony had given Two-Bit his nickname. And if Ponyboy had never existed, then no one would ever stop calling him Keith.

_"You are so annoying," Pony groaned at Two-Bit, who kept blowing in his ear. Ponyboy, at six years old was already thrilled with the fact that he had just learned how to read. He was sitting on the couch, trying to decipher one of my chapter books. Two-Bit just couldn't get over how funny he thought that was._

_ "I can't help that, little guy. It's a gift."_

_ "Well, go find another gift Keith. Cause' that one is pointless, and will make people hate you."_

_ "Glory hallelujah, kid. Ain't you just a little smart-ass. I, personally hated reading at your age, and still hate it to this day."_

_ "Don't discourage him, Keith," I said from the kitchen. My mother went into the living room and tousled his hair affectionately._

_ "And don't curse around him either," she said playfully. She gave Ponyboy a little wink. _

_ "I don't care if you hated to read. Your little two-bits that you have to get in about everything don't have much effect on me." said Pony. Two-Bit rolled his eyes, and I laughed. _

_ "I don't need to get my two-bits in all the time. I am a very caring friend, who loves listening to my friend's kid brother."_

_ "Yeah right," I called from the table. "You interrupt so much that we should just call you two-bit. Pony makes the call,"_

The memory made me understand. For some reason, here, Ponyboy only existed in my memory. No one else remembered him. I crept down the hallway and into my own room. I plopped on my bed. Could I just be me making all of this up in my mind? Could my little brother really never have existed? No one knew who he was, there were no photos, or records of him. Could all my years of knowing him be a figment of my imagination, or just a dream? If that was the case, then I for sure needed some professional help. No sane person just creates a whole entire new human being that has been alive for over a decade in their mind. I buried my face in my pillow, and instantly felt something hard. I reached into the pillowcase and drew out what it was. I felt a leap of success flush throughout my core. Ponyboy had given what was in my pillowcase a little over a week ago. He told me that his teacher had told him that the writing was very well, and he should let a guardian read it to see if they could get it published. I had planned to start on it right away, but like usual, my work kept me from doing things that I wanted. But here it was. Final, true proof that Ponyboy Curtis had lived, and was probably still alive somewhere out there. What I needed to do, was find him. Thoughts of me being insane were soon replaced with the knowledge that the rest of the world didn't understand, but I somehow did.

I flicked my fingers through the many pages of Pony's famous theme. On the front it was titled, _The Outsiders, by: Ponyboy Curtis_.

**What do you think? Any questions, comments concerns? I'd love to hear it ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

**As always, thank you so much for my reviews :) S.E. Hinton owns all the characters, and the story of The Outsiders :)**

Forgetting a Star

Before Soda got home from school, I was able to read Ponyboy's entire theme. Five straight hours, I didn't stop once. A few parts were skipped a little, because I just felt like I needed to finish it. Later, I would read it over to get all I could out of it. I read very quickly, and almost compulsively. The writing was wonderful, and Pony's insight on life was amazing, like usual. I wished that I could be in the universe that Ponyboy existed in, so I could tell him how proud I was of his talent. I wished I could tell him a lot of things. Maybe he was taken from me because I didn't appreciate what a wonderful kid he was. I cried throughout most of the story. I cried at any parts where Pony talked about something that he loved, or something that made him happy. I cried when he talked about me, or Soda, or any of the gang. So basically, the tears didn't stop.

I was ready for the boys once they got home. The television was turned on, and I was laying obediently on the couch. Soda burst in the house, talking loudly to Steve. Once he spotted me on the couch, he grinned and moved over towards me. His grin sent shivers up my spine. _Everything_ about Soda sent shivers up my spine. For some reason, he just didn't seem right.

"Hey Dar, how you feeling?" Soda asked, sitting by me. I cut directly to the chase and pulled Pony's theme out from the blanket draped over my lap. My hands shook as I handed it to Soda.

"Here, Soda," I whispered. I thought for a little while that maybe I wouldn't need to be afraid anymore. But sitting next to a boy that didn't seem like my actual brother, having one brother non-existent, and two boys back from the dead started really getting to me. Plus reading Pony's theme made me realize how much I just wanted him back.

Soda took the theme from me and looked at it curiously. "The Outsiders," he read. "By Ponyboy Curtis."

"By _Ponyboy_, Soda." I urged his memory. "Ponyboy wrote this. It's his theme for English."

Sodapop flipped through the many pages. His eyes scanned a few of the words, and at one sentence a smile flickered across his face.

"'I love Soda more than I've ever loved anyone, even mom and dad. He's always happy-go-lucky and grinning, while Darry's hard and firm and rarely grins at all' Gosh, Dar," he said, looking up at me after reading. "Did you write this? That's real nice – "

"Soda!" I cried, cutting him off. I almost could believe my ears. "I just told you who wrote it! It was Ponyboy! He wrote that about you, because – because – " my throat began to constrict. "Because it's true. You're his role model. You – you love him more than anything."

I could feel the boys staring at me from behind the couch. Soda's face went white. He shook his head a little bit.

"Darry, what's going on?" he asked shakily. "Why are you acting like this? What's happened to you?"

I jumped up suddenly from the couch and kicked the coffee table. Soda jolted. I turned around so I could be facing the entire gang. Soda stayed on the couch, leaning a little away from me. Two-Bit looked like he wanted to erase all seriousness from the room. Steve was looking at Soda, like he just wanted to to take him and leave the house. I seethed at the thought of how jealous Steve had always been of all the time Soda spent with Pony. And now Steve had his way. Pony was gone, and all Soda's attention was for him. I suddenly wanted to hit him.

Dally still looked as much of a hood as ever. But his mean glare was a little softened, and he seemed genuinely concerned. Johnny's eyes were as huge as ever. But his face, like everyone else's, was kind of different. His expression seemed a little more broken, and a little more bitter. Without Pony, he had no one to show him some real light. He still had Dallas, who was his hero. But too much Dallas was never really good for a person. There had to be some kind of balance.

"What happened to you?" I screamed at Soda. "Why don't you remember? What can I do? You've _read_ this theme before! You were the very first to read it! Not me! It was you! So why don't you remember?" I took in a deep breath. Dally grabbed Johnny's arm. I must have looked a little crazy. Soda got up off the couch and took steps away from me. I stepped a little towards him, but stopped myself, trying to stay calm.

"Please remember Soda," my voice broke, and the screaming fit was over. My real emotions stared to seep in. "Please, please don't forget."

"Let's get in the car, Darry," said Two-Bit, taking charge. "We should go and get you checked out. Maybe it could help – "

I didn't stay to listen to the rest of Two-Bit's suggestion. I knew that I wasn't crazy. I didn't need to go and see a doctor. The doctor probably would be some idiot too.

I left the front room, and went into my own. I needed to leave the house, now. I had wasted too much time already. I should have left the moment I found his theme. Pony was out there somewhere right now, and he needed my help. Plus, maybe only the gang couldn't remember Pony. I could go and talk to other people, and see if they remembered him. There had to be some kind of record of him out there. I made a list in my head of places that I could go. Pony's school would be first, then the hospital where he was born. Then I could talk to some of the other kids at school that were Pony's friends. Cherry, Randy, and Mark were the only ones that I actually knew and had seen though.

I grabbed a backpack and hurriedly threw some clothes and necessities in it. I pulled up the mattress and grabbed the wad of bills that I keep under it for emergencies. Then I went back outside to find the boys talking in hushed voices around the kitchen table. I grabbed the keys off of the hook and strode straight past them. Soda rushed over to me.

"Where are you going, Dar?" he asked pulling on my backpack. He still had the theme clutched in his hands.

"I'm leaving, Soda. I'm gonna go and find Ponyboy."

Soda took a deep breath. "And – and you're going to take the car?"

"Sure am."

"Darry, please – "

"I need to get going, Soda. Pony could be anywhere by now."

"Darry! Ponyboy doesn't exist! Do you hear me?" he grabbed my shoulders and shook me. "There is no Ponyboy!"

I raised my hand to slap him, but stopped just in time. I couldn't hit two brothers in one week. But was Soda really my brother anymore? There was some kind of a different feel, or glow about him. Without Ponyboy, Soda wasn't the same. He was still happy and movie-star handsome. But the innocence that Pony fed into him was gone. Now Soda seemed ever more like Dallas. Not hard and cold, but more of a hoodlum. Pony always made Soda care about doing bad things like drinking and stealing, but now I could see in his face that he could do whatever he wanted and not give a shit. He wasn't my Soda anymore. Just like Pony wouldn't be Pony without Soda. Soda couldn't be how I knew and loved him without Pony.

Soda flinched away from my hand, but I couldn't slap him. He still _looked_ like my wonderful kid brother, just not on the inside. I backed away right into Dally. He grabbed me by the arm.

"Come on, Darry. Don't do this. Don't leave." he said roughly. I pushed him away from me. Johnny stayed right at his heels. I wanted to be happy about the two of them being alive. I really did. But for them to be alive meant Ponyboy not being wasn't a fair enough deal to me. I ripped Pony's theme from Soda's shaking hands and stuffed it into my backpack. He didn't deserve to keep it if he didn't even know who the writer was.

And so I walked straight to the door and didn't look back. I would find Ponyboy at any cost. And once he was found, I would bring him back home, and Soda would remember. Everyone would remember. They just had to.


	5. Chapter 5

Forgetting a Star

I pushed open the doors to the school. I had to try a couple of doors because class ended hours ago, and most of them were locked. I've been to the office at Pony's high school to pick him up a couple of times. Once he was sick, and another time some Soc had blamed a fight on him. So I knew where the office was.

The lady at the front desk looked up at me when I walked in. I strode over to her, trying my best not to look too panicky.

"Hello, Sir," she said pleasantly. "Could I help you with something?"

"Uh, yeah. My brother, Ponyboy is going to be absent this week. Could I pick up any schoolwork that he will have?" Nice and believable.

She wrinkled her nose at the name 'Ponyboy'. I struggled not to roll my eyes.

"What is your brother's real name, sir?" she asked.

"Ponyboy." I said shortly. She looked at me funny and pulled out a piece of paper.

"Pony, as in a horse?"

"Yes."

"The rest of his name please?" Her pleasant voice was back.

"Ponyboy Micheal Curtis." She wrote down his name on the paper and stood up.

"I'll go check in the back for his files. Then I can have his teachers give me the work for this week. You can come by tomorrow to pick it up."

I bit my lip. I couldn't wait an entire day to see if there were files on Ponyboy. "Do you want me to – to wait while you get his file?" That was all I needed. To see her holding that file.

She nodded. "Yes, that would be nice. I just need to be sure that you – gave me the right name." She tried to arrange her face so that it wouldn't look skeptical, but failed miserably. I sat in one of the plastic waiting chairs as she walked into the back room. I waited, hearing her shuffle around and sigh every few minutes. Drawers banged, and her heels clicked around the room. I felt a knot in my stomach.

After a little while, she came back out of the room. She looked frazzled. "There are no files with that name. There is a Curtis at this school, but _her_ name is Marie." Her eyes narrowed. "Are you sure that was the right name?"

I stood up quickly and she started. My fists clenched as I fought to keep control. "Yes, I'm sure." The words came out hushed.

"Do you have the correct school?" She asked. I nodded.

"So, there is no Ponyboy Curtis at this school?"

She grabbed onto the side of her desk, almost looking afraid of me. "Not that I could find." I let out a groan and sank back into my chair. I wanted to stay there forever, and just burst into tears. But I've trained myself for too long never to do that. Being the oldest brother all my life, and now having to raise two teenagers has made me tough. Tears don't solve anything. Sometimes you cant help it, but at times you can. You can't always succumb to tears when something is too hard.

"He's looking for his brother," I heard the receptionist telling someone softly. "But we don't have any files on him. I looked everywhere I could think, but I just don't see anything."

I lifted up my face and saw a tall, well-dressed man now standing by her desk. He saw me looking and walked over to me.

"Are you a Curtis?" he said to me. I stood again for the second time.

"Yes, my name is Darryl."

The man looked around and at the receptionist. "Valerie," He said. "Mr. Curtis is a friend of mine. We just have some stressful business to sort out. Sorry for the misunderstanding."

Valerie nodded, still looking beyond confused. "Come with me please," the man said to me. I followed him into an office, that was probably his. He shut the door behind us and locked it. The click of the lock echoed in the little room.

"Have a seat," he said, gesturing to the chair by his desk. I sat down, grasping the sides.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the principal here. I understand that you're looking for your brother? Is his name Ponyboy?" The principal almost looked eager. I felt a beautiful kind of relief sweeping through me. Maybe this man knew who my brother was.

"Yes, his name is Ponyboy," I breathed, my eyes wide. "He's fourteen, and is a freshman. He skipped a grade, so he's a little younger than everyone else."

The principal put his hand over his mouth and started down at his desk. He removed his hand for a bit to say, "And – and where is your brother now, Mr. Curtis?"

"I don't know," I said. "Like you said, I'm looking for him."

"You have another brother, correct?"

"Yes."

"Is he helping you look?"

"Well – not exactly," My mind went into a frenzy, wondering if I should tell this man about what was truly going on. Would he think I was crazy? He, however looked even more eager. Almost like he had a puzzle, and had just discovered another piece.

"Mr. Curtis, please tell me. Does your – your other brother _remember_ Ponyboy?" He looked like I felt. Like he was going to be judged for insanity. I sucked in a sharp breath. I leaned towards him.

"No, he doesn't. What do you know, Sir?"

The principal shook his head slowly. "I don't really know what I know. And I don't really understand. But yesterday, right after school three men dressed in suits and wearing sunglasses were dragging your brother into the office. They told that same receptionist out there to get them Ponyboy Curtis' files. She was really afraid of them, so she went in the back and gave them everything she could find on your brother. Then they left, dragging him along."

"Was he okay?" I interrupt quickly. He shrugged.

"I didn't see his face. It almost looked like he was asleep." He looked at my hands and saw them shaking. "Not dead," He told me quickly. "No, he was breathing. I know he was."

"Okay," I said, steadying my hands. "So, why doesn't your receptionist know who he is? If she just had to dig through his files yesterday, wouldn't she know that there wouldn't be any today? I mean, Ponyboy isn't an easy name to forget."

"That's just the _thing_ Mr. Curtis," said the principal. "No one remembers. A few seconds after those men and your brother left, there was a loud screeching noise. I thought for a moment that it was an earthquake. And just as quickly as it came, it was gone. I came out of my office to check on Valerie, but she was just sitting at her desk, as normal as ever. And the other receptionist, right next to Valerie didn't seem to notice anything earlier. I asked them both what they thought that noise was, and who those men were, but neither of them seemed to know what I was talking about. 'What men?' Valerie asked. 'No one has been out here, practically all day.'"

"They didn't remember?" I whispered.

"They didn't remember."

I leaned back in my chair, my heart thumping. "No one remembers my brother. I'm the only one. Not Sodapop, not any of his friends. No one. There are no more photos of him."

"I remember him," said the principal. "I don't know why, but I do. I had never personally met him, but I remember seeing his name in the paper a few months ago for being a hero. So when those men said the name, 'Ponyboy Curtis' I recognized it. Last night, I looked for that article in my drawers, because I had kept it. I was pretty proud that one of my students had done something so special. But I couldn't find it anywhere. When I asked my wife if she remembered the story about the two boys in Windrixville a couple of months ago, she had no idea what I was talking about. I wanted to find someone who knew Ponyboy Curtis, and I remembered you and your other brother being talked about in that article. I was planning on coming to see you today."

I stayed silent for a little while. I thought of Windrixville, and the men that had taken my brother. I wondered why they had made some people forget him, and some people not. Or perhaps they wanted everyone to, but had just done a lousy job.

A sudden, horrible thought hit me. "Mr. Principal – "

"James," he said to me quickly. "Sorry, I didn't tell you my name before. It's James."

"Okay, James. Do you – do you think, that Pony could have never gone to Windrixville? Do you think somehow, those men changed that?"

James bit his nail. "It's probable."

"Then, do you think that the children he and his friend Johnny saved are dead now?"

James paled. Then nodded.

"Johnny Cade is alive, Sir. The boy that died in that fire. He is alive. He came to school today. He's at my house, right as we speak."

"You've seen him?"

"Just this morning."

"Then, Mr. Curtis, we have two theories. And mind you, you and I must stay very, very calm at this point. Because a boy being brought back from the dead is something to be handled very seriously." His voice was grave, and calmed me. My hands were still.

"I'm listening."

"Theory one, the both of us are insane. Somehow, some way we both created a false person in our minds. That fact, however is highly unlikely for two reasons. One, because I have never met you in my entire life, and vice versa. There is no way the both of us could have the same memories of the same person, and no one else could. It is impossible. And two, because the human brain cannot invent people. As in, when you dream about a random person that you think you have never seen, you have seen them somewhere. It could have been just walking down the street, or in a grocery store. With that, if you and I are indeed crazy, we have to have seen Ponyboy Curtis, or the person that looks like him, just under a different name, at least once in our lives."

I stared at him, open-mouthed. Everything he said was clever, disturbing, and logical. "You're a genius." I said. It almost sounded like a question.

James chuckled softly. "No, just a psychology major."

I tilted my head and considered him. "Theory two?"

His face darkened. "Those men were with the government. As I think back now, I remember the seal pinned on their suits. It was the U.S. Government seal. Somehow, for some reason they took your brother and caused everyone to forget him. It's almost like they don't want him to exist."

My heart nearly stopped. "They – they don't want him to exist? Why? Do you think they will kill him?"

"I can't be sure," he said. "But whatever they plan on doing, can't be good."

I rubbed my temples. James opened a desk drawer. I heard him scribbling something. "Here," he told me. I looked at him. He was holding out a check. "Here is enough money for a plane ticket to Washington D.C."

"James – " I started. He shook his head.

"Don't argue, there probably isn't very much time. Go to the capitol. Poke around, do whatever you can. I don't know exactly where he would be. But he is somewhere in a government facility in D.C. I'm sure of it."

I looked down at the check. Inside, I felt an excited spark of hope. But a dread also poked in my veins like poison. Washington D.C is huge. And which government facility would he be in? I had no leads, no knowledge, and no ideas.

James almost sensed my dismal attitude. "Do you really want to find him, Darryl?"

I looked straight at him. "More than anything. I'll never be right again if I don't."

"Then your way forward is clear. If you are determined enough, you will have what you want. Just don't give up Darryl. Don't give up."

I nodded my head. "I'd come with you," he said. "But I've got a wife, and a family. I can't risk – "

"I understand." I told him quickly. "This is already more than enough. Thank you, truly."

We looked at each other for a few moments. After about a minute of silence, I asked him slightly despairingly.

"What do I do if I get there, and I have no clue what to do? What can I do?"

James surveyed me and said very calmly, "Pray. God doesn't forget any of his children, Mr. Curtis. If you pray, he will help you."

I believe him.

**Please, please review. I want to know what you guys think :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Forgetting a Star

_When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind; Paul Newman, and a ride home._

_I love Soda more than I've ever loved anyone._

_I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me._

_She looked at me quickly. "I could fall in love with Dallas Winston."_

_Darry would lose that cold, hard look and be like he used to be, eight months ago, before Mom and Dad were killed. Since I was dreaming I brought Mom and Dad back to life._

_Nobody in my family had ever hit me. Nobody._

_We could take whatever was coming now._

"_Yeah," he said with a sigh. "I guess we're different."_

"_Shoot," I said, blowing a perfect smoke ring. "Maybe they are."_

_I hadn't realized Johnny had been right behind me all the way._

_Sent from heaven? Had he gotten a good look at Dallas?_

_Darry did care about me, maybe as much as he cared about Soda. And because he cared he was trying too hard to make something of me._

_Johnny was the only thing Dally loved._

"_Is Darry sorry that I'm sick?"_

_So dawn goes down to day, nothing gold can stay..._

Tears fell steadily onto the papers bearing Pony's handwritten theme. I was bent over it on a quiet airplane, reading the story over and over again. Each time I read it through, I found new details and new wonders in the way Pony wrote. And it made me miss him more than anything. He wrote _The Outsiders_ at just the age of fourteen. Obviously, he had some real prodigious skill. His future would be amazing. And that was what what killed me. I just couldn't bear the thought of Pony being taken from the records of the world, or being stuck in some facility somewhere when he had so much potential. Ponyboy was a star, and I refused to forget that.

My flight to DC was seven hours, and a red eye. I really disliked flying through the night, but it was the soonest time I could get. I didn't call Soda before I left, or any of the boys. For some reason, I wanted nothing to do with them anymore. They were like traitors in my eyes. Once I got Pony back, Soda would be back to normal. I was sure of it. Because as frustrated as I was with him, I still missed him just as much as I missed Ponyboy. Soda is my best friend, just like he is Pony's. I think anyone that really knows Soda thinks of him as their best friend. He is just that kind of person.

In between the moments that I was reading Pony's theme, I was able to think. And my thinking sprouted new fears. Didn't I realize that I was completely lost? I didn't know where to go, and who to ask. I did have my card, and intended to spend everything on it. I no longer cared about my bills back at home. What did that matter when my youngest brother was missing?

The woman sitting next to me was in her mid-twenties and had a bible sitting in her lap. At the start of the flight she had been reading it, but later she began flipping through a magazine in one of the seat pockets. I eyed the bible and remembered James' words; _"Pray. God doesn't forget any of his children Mr. Curtis. If you pray, he will help you."_

I'm not religious. I believe in God, but I've never personally read the entirety of the bible. I've prayed, but not regularly. Pony used to love going to church, and I would take him even though I found it boring beyond belief. But he liked going, so I'd take him. The boys bugged him so much about it, however, that he stopped going. I wish he wouldn't have. He was my only excuse.

I tapped the woman on the shoulder, finally gathering my courage. "Miss?" I asked quietly. She turned to me, her face alight. She didn't look irritated with me. I breathed relief.

"Yes?" she whispered. Her eyes searched my face, probably picking up the terrified, exhausted expression.

"Could I – " I swallowed. "Could I borrow your bible? Just for a moment?"

Her eyes flashed surprise, but she smiled. "Of course," she said. "Use it as long as you'd like."

I muttered my thanks and looked sideways at her kind glow. Huh, a true Christian. I hadn't met one of those for a long time.

I opened the thick book and flipped through the pages. What I wanted the bible for exactly, I don't know. I guess I just felt a little hopeless. And if I wanted help from God, then reading his teachings might do me some good.

After a while, I realized how bored I was getting, flipping through and reading random scriptures. None of them really made any sense. I made myself think that I wasn't like Pony, and wouldn't be able to find all the little hidden messages in the writing. I'd never gain anything from this. And then one, really beautiful one caught my eye.

_Psalms 23:_

_The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever._

I gasped aloud by the end, causing the woman nest to me to turn her head. A warmth spread in my heart and mind. I flipped through more pages, scanning my eyes. I stopped at another one in the New Testament. It went like this:

_Matthew 6:20-21_

_But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also._

My treasure. What is my treasure? Obviously it isn't money, since I'm throwing it all away on this little adventure. It isn't my job, which I've abandoned. It isn't my home which sits back in Tulsa. It isn't my looks or anything to do with myself. Whatever my heart truly wants, is my treasure. And what I wanted more than anything, was my family to be back together. I wanted my little brother with me, and my other little brother to remember him. I wanted to be able to look after them, so we could be together, forever.

The lights dimmed a little on the plane, and more people started to lay back and go to sleep. With a shaking hand, I gave the woman her book back. She started at me for a fraction of a second. I turned on my side, staring out of the window, with Pony's theme clutched in my hands.

**Sorry it's a little short. I had to type this up pretty quick and get it on the site because I'm going on vacation in a couple hours. And I'll be gone for a week. Anyways, hope you like and please review :)**

**Have a lovely week. You're all wonderful :)**

**-learning**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Happy Easter! What a lovely holiday this is :) **

**I'm home from my vacation now and am very excited to update. This spring break I ventured to the magical land of HARRY POTTER! It was amazing! Jeez, I love Harry Potter.**

**Well, on with the story. Happy reading to you all :)**

Forgetting a Star

I obviously haven't seen very much of the world. As I stepped off the plane and felt the different texture in the air of Washington DC, I realized that I've never really experienced true humidity. I thought it was humid in Tulsa, but boy, it's even worse in DC. And it was a little chilly too, since the calendar back at my house said it was late September. But I've experienced cold.

No, I realized how little I've seen when I walked around the city. The big, beautiful capitol building was beyond anything I've ever gotten to look at. The memorials were lit up and swimming with tourists. There were huge construction sites, bearing names of more buildings that would be entering the city. There was also a billboard, saying of two buildings that would be entering New York. It said; **WORLD TRADE CENTER, COMING SOON TO NEW YORK, NEW YORK.**

Underneath these big words was a sort of drawing of two tall buildings that hit the clouds above. I smiled a little and tilted my head at the sign. Boy, would I love to see those once they were finished. They were obviously rather important, if there was a sign for them in a entirely different city.

I wandered around for a while, and then called for a taxi. I handed the driver a wad of bills and asked where the nearest hotel was.

"It doesn't need to be anything fancy," I told him. "I just need somewhere to stay."

"I'll drive you to Thompson's Inn. It's just a couple blocks from here. Super cheap too," he said, eying my run-down clothing. I nodded, refusing to take any offense.

The hotel was normal-looking. I thanked the cabbie and got out, shifting my bag on my shoulder. The woman at the front desk was tired-looking, since it was around five in the morning. I walked over to her, asked for a room, and gave her my credit card number. Saving my emergency cash was the best thought right now. I'd use my card for the big stuff, and cash for when I needed something fast.

My room was small. It had one bed and a teeny bathroom. There was a table in it with a coffee maker, and some packets sitting by it. Good, I would need some coffee. But I didn't make some just then. I knew I would need some rest if I wanted to function properly while I searched tomorrow. So I got out the pajamas from my backpack, changed, and snuggled down in my bed. Before I drifted off completely, however, I pulled Pony's theme from my backpack as well and rested it under my arm. Maybe it was silly to do that, but it reminded me somehow that he still existed.

That night, I dreamed.

_It was a huge building. Not exactly in height, but in width it showed to be completely massive. The walls were completely gray and concrete. There was a chain-linked fence that I stood behind. Beyond that fence, was the building. A man came over to the fence, opened it, and let me in. I walked over towards the building, feeling a strange sort of draw coming from it._

"_It's sad," said the man who had let me in through the fence. "This building has a sad future coming for it. As do those," he pointed behind us. I whirled around, seeing two towers looming in the distance, looking eerie and mysterious. They registered in my mind at the towers I saw on the billboard earlier today. They looked like twin towers. How were they just directly behind me? Didn't that sign say that those twin towers would be in New York City?_

"_What do you mean, sad future?" I asked the man. Without looking at me, he snapped his fingers and visions played before my eyes. I saw a plane, crashing into the side of the massively wide building. And then I saw more planes that crashed into the twin towers I had seen behind me. As soon as they came, the visions vanished. I looked about wildly, but saw both the wide building, and the two buildings to be perfectly intact._

"_For the time being," said the man, as if he read my thoughts. Perhaps he did. _

"_Look," I said to him. We had now reached the doors of the wide building. "I don't have time for any riddles, or strange visions. I've got a missing kid brother, who I need to find now."_

"_And I'm helping you with that," said the man, holding the door open for me. I caught my first glimpse of his features and started. The dark hair, the steady build, the eyes that I had inherited. I was staring into the face of my late father._

"_Dad – " I started, but he cut me off._

"_Don't talk now, son. I haven't got much time." I shut my mouth, feeling chills at hearing his voice again. "We're entering the building where you'll find all the information you need to find Ponyboy. He isn't in the building, but here is your first step."_

"_I'm in DC right now, Dad," I said, struggling to keep up with his quick pace as he walked past office desks. "Is that where this building is?"_

"_You're close, son. It's in Arlington, Virginia, just south of DC. It's very close."_

"_And he isn't in this building? Just his information?" I asked._

"_Right."_

"_So I'm in the wrong city," I said, my heart sinking. "He isn't here."_

"_No, he isn't. But you're on your way Darry. It's going to work out." My pace went down, as I realized that I still wasn't in the same city as my brother. My dad grabbed my arm. "I don't have unlimited time. Follow me, and memorize everything I'm doing. Right now, memorize it."_

_I made my eyes follow every move he made. We crossed past numerous desks and stopped at an elevator. We entered the elevator, and he pressed the number four. We went up, and he got out, still pulling me along. There was two different hallways that we could have gone down, and he chose the hallway on the left. It was long and had doors that would lead to other offices. We passed every single one, and stopped at the very end of the hallway. There was a heavy, metal door that opened with the codes of a keypad. Everything then around me became blurred except for my father, and that keypad. He entered the numbers; 84336743884647666. How did I remember all those numbers perfectly? The door clicked, and I guessed that it was now unlocked._

_My father turned to me. "Did you memorize everything I did?"_

"_The best I could."_

"_Well, that's better than I could ever ask for." He touched my face. "Good luck, Darryl."_

And then, I woke up. I got out of my laying position immediately, breathing more heavily than I ever have in my life. My face was covered in a sheer layer of sweat and tears. My body was trembling. I placed my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. Because if I started, I might not be able to stop. The clock said 10:55 a.m.

What had just happened? The dream seemed so agonizingly and painfully real. Well, of course it wasn't real, but it seemed like legitimate advice. My father had been there, and his tone of voice seemed so urgent and trustworthy.

The building. I might as well go to it. I had no other leads, and no where else to go. It seemed like the best option. My only issue was, I had no idea what building my father had lead me into.

OooOooOoo

There were all kinds of tour guides in the drawers of my nightstand. I took them all out and flipped through them. There were pictures of the best places to visit, like the White House, and the Capitol. There were routes and bike trails. There were the best places to eat, or nice hotels to stay in.

"I don't want any of this," I whispered to myself, throwing the papers back into the drawer. One of them flipped over to the back. It said in big letters, **A MUST SEE FOR EVERYONE!**

I picked up the paper and brought it closer to my eyes. Under the letter was my building. It was a funny shape; perfectly five sides. It proved to look rather large in width. And it was said on the paper to be located just outside of Washington DC, in Arlington, Virginia. It was along the banks of the Potomac river.

The Pentagon.

**Hope you like. Please review and tell me what you think, what I could fix, anything. And like I said before, Happy Easter. Remember today what this holiday actually means. And if you get the time today, look up the scripture Psalms 28. It has nothing to do with this story, I just like it :) Have a good day :)**

**-learning**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry it took me a little longer to get this up. I hope you enjoy, however, and leave a review. If anyone has any suggestions or anything to say, please tell me. I would love to hear and consider it. Thanks all, and happy reading :)**

Forgetting a Star

"... and protect him from any harm. Amen."

I rubbed my eyes and pushed myself to a standing position. It was around two in the afternoon, and I was ready to set out for the Pentagon. Before I left, I had decided to do what James had suggested of me; to pray. I don't really know if I felt anything different, but it was nice to think that now God knew what was happening, and that He could help me.

I called a cab and handed the driver a load of dollars. When I asked to be driven to the Pentagon, he groaned, so I handed him more money. After that he drove extra fast, which was all fine with me. I folded my hands in my lap and started when I saw something inky and black drawn into my forearm. It was the numbers that my dad had given to me in my dream last night. _84336743884647666._ I guess I had slept-written them down or something. That is, if sleep writing even exists. I pulled my sleeve down to my wrist so the numbers would be covered.

"You just want to be dropped off here?" asked the cabbie. I looked out the window to see the same gate I had seen in my dream last night.

"Yes," I said quickly, unbuckling my seat belt. "Right here is perfect."

My driver gave me a funny look. "You sure? You can't get in here, you know. And getting a cab back isn't too likely."

I already had my door open. "I'm sure," I told him, stepping out. "Thanks for the ride." I slammed the door, and made straight for the gate.

The Pentagon was huge. I guessed that I was at the back of it, because there were all kinds of signs practically screaming at me as I approached the gate.

_'Tourists please make way to front!'_

_'No unauthorized persons allowed beyond this point.'_

_'Tour guides are standing by at front of building. Please note that no unauthorized persons are allowed inside of the Pentagon.'_

_'No trespassing.'_

_'Violators will be persecuted to the fullest extent of the law.'_

They all said mainly the same thing to me, but just in more official terms. _"Go away, now. Seriously, you'll get in trouble."_

"Well, you all can screw yourselves," I muttered under my breath. "I'm going in. I don't even care, so just shut up."

It dawned on me the exact moment I reached to gate that I had just spoken to inanimate signs. I shook my head and peered through the gate. There was no entryway like there had been in my dream. And of course, there was no father to let me in. This was where I figured things out on my own.

There were several guards standing at the back doors of the building. But the wall jetted out so I could see them, but they couldn't see me. I could hop this gate, and they wouldn't notice me if I made no noise. I was fairly close to the building. I looked left and right, checking for any other stray guards prowling the back yard of the Pentagon. Seeing none, I silently grabbed hold of the gate and launched myself up. With another two tugs, and pushing with my legs, I was at the top of the gate.

"_What, no barbed wire?"_ I remember thinking to myself. _"How uneventful."_

I sat at the top of the gate for a moment, slightly surprised and in the beginning stages of panic to what I was doing. I snapped out of it quickly, however, when I realized that my being seven feet off the ground meant the guards could now see me. I rolled on my back before they had the chance to look and slid down the gate. My slide made a small metallic noise, and was not graceful. I let go too soon and fell sideways on my elbow, and then shoulder. My funny bone smarted and throbbed as I got to my feet. I turned my back on the gate, being sure to maintain the advantage of the guards having a blind spot of me.

"Hey!" shot out a nervous-sounding voice. "What are you doing?"

I turned around instantly, my heart beating fast. Rushing towards me was a young-looking guard. His expression was anxious and a little confused. But his hands held a long, fully loaded gun.

My brain worked at a million miles a second. This guy looked young; twenty four years old, at _most_. More likely to be a bit younger. It was clear in the way he held himself that he was no experienced soldier, policeman, guard, or anything really. His hands shook as he pointed the gun at me. I flicked my eyes up to his.

"Keep your voice down," I said evenly. "There really isn't any need to shout."

"What d'you – who are – listen," red was creeping to his cheeks.

"Do you have certain questions that you've got to ask intruders?" I asked, buying my time and his quieter speaking. "And you don't know which one to ask first?"

He took a deep breath, the gun shaking harder. "I'm asking this: Who are you?"

"Who are you?"

He opened his mouth to call out for backup. Right as he opened it, he also took his gaze from me, searching for anyone that might be near. It was his split second of looking away that saved me. I launched myself at him, knowing he probably could never shoot me, but knocking the gun from his hands regardless. He struggled and made a small noise, but that died out quickly. My hand slapped over his mouth and my fist made a sickening crack come to his nose. He staggered back, blood gushing, and crashing into the gate. I sucked in my breath a little at the noise and checked behind me. No one came running around the wall that was still constricting me from the main guards. So I knelt down beside the boy and felt his neck, hoping with all my heart that I hadn't accidentally killed him. His pulse raced on, but his eyes were flickered closed.

"Perfect," I said to myself. I took the hat off of his head to see if there was any wound in his hair. There wasn't. I held his hat in my hand, and was spurred by what I needed to do. Very carefully I took from him his coat and pants and shoes. I felt a little guilt in leaving the poor guy in just his white undershirt and boxers, so I hastily pulled my owns jeans that I had taken off onto him. My guilt subdued, I was able to put on his uniform, and the cap on my head. I picked up his gun and walked the same way that he had discovered me from. It was away from the guards that were hidden behind that wall.

The walk was long, and I realized just how vast the building really was. I reached a small door that had two guards standing on either side. They nodded to me. I nodded back, stopped in my tracks, and decided to walk towards them. They looked a little taken aback, but not for very long.

"Morning." one of them said.

"Morning," I answered, feeling terrified. They exchanged looks.

"Need anything?" the other asked, a smile playing on his lips. I cracked a fake smile to ease any tension.

"To get inside, please." I said. They looked me up and down and nodded. Success.

I nodded at them again and stepped inside the Pentagon. They shut the door behind me. I was in a little hallway with no doors at all. There was a light at the end, so I stepped down towards it. My feet made echoing noises in the silence. I wondered when someone would find the unconscious body of the guard against the gate.

The hallway ended and I could see another leading to some doors which probably contained offices, and a large room filled with desks.

_We crossed past numerous desks..._

I immediately made my way into the large room, searching around and feeling an overwhelming sense of deja vu. There were dozens and dozens of business-like people working at desks, talking on phones, and bustling about. I stepped further into the room. I saw another guard with a uniform just like mine. I turned myself in a half circle, stopping short when I saw the next place I needed to go.

_...and stopped at an elevator. We entered the elevator..._

I entered the elevator once the arrow at the top flashed yellow.

_...and he pressed the number four..._

I pressed four, feeling the elevator jerk. It traveled upwards and I thought of how many years it had been since I had even ridden in an elevator. Probably at least five. I wonder, if five years ago I could even dream that the next time I would be riding in an elevator would be because I was searching for a non-existing kid-brother in a stolen uniform, illegally, in the Pentagon.

_...We went up and he got out, still pulling me along..._

The metal doors pushed open, and I stepped out of the elevator.

_...There were two different hallways that we could have gone down, and he chose the one on the left..._

I moved my feet immediately to the left, feeling like a machine.

_...It was long and had doors that would lead to other offices. We passed every single one, and stopped at the very end of the hallway..._

I stopped once all the doors had been passed. There was no noise being made. None at all. There were no windows in the hallway. None on the doors, or the walls.

_...There was a heavy, metal door that opened with the codes of a keypad..._

I approached the door cautiously, feeling a frightening weight desperately pulling me back from it. But I continued on, studying the keypad and pulling up the sleeve of my coat to reveal the numbers I had written on my arm. But as my finger touched the first number, I found that I didn't need the cheat on my arm after all. I remembered them all perfectly.

_...He entered the numbers, 8433674388464766. How did I remember all those numbers perfectly?..._

The keypad made little beeping noises as I punched the numbers in. Once I was finished a little sign popped up on the screen.

**Code Correct. Please Scan Your Card.**

I patted my coat for a card. Inside the front pocket was the guard's wallet. I opened it and fumbled past his ID, drivers license, and a picture of him and a pretty blonde girl. The last card was his name, another little square picture of him, and his official status of being a guard of the Pentagon. He was only twenty-three, and named Thomas Watson. I scanned the card. The door clicked and I placed my hand on the knob. The screen re-typed and now said;

**Access Granted. Please Step Inside.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, I'm so sorry for the amount of time it took for me to get this updated. Sophomore year has just been relentless. Luckily school is almost over; so I will have more time for this story. I did have it all typed up and beautiful a few days ago, but wouldn't let me. Thanks, as always, for the reviews :)**

Forgetting a Star

Cold air rushed through the door and hit my face. I forced my feet to take a step forward, into the unknown.

I was in in another large room, complete with a set of hallways. There were several serious-looking men working at desks, or disappearing into rooms. It was eerily quiet, except for the occasional scratching of a pencil. Everyone talked in whispers, and with their hands covering their mouths.

_Keep a low profile,_ I instructed myself. _Don't draw any attention. Keep this calm and simple._

But as lovely as it may have sounded to keep everything calm and simple, I found myself slightly unable to do it. The workers were beginning to notice my presence, and give me suspicious glares. Heat started creeping up my neck and around my ears.

"Need something, kid?" asked a man's voice from behind.

Shit. Did I really look that young?

I composed my features and attitude before I turned to face him.

"Yes, please," I said turning around. How could I make myself sound more official? "Sir." I added. The man's face seemed to brighten ever so slightly upon being stated as a higher ranking than myself. He nodded for me to continue. I stood a little straighter.

"Files," I paused. "Files," Damn it; I shouldn't have repeated the word. Made me sound more nervous. "On – some boy named Ponyboy Michael Curtis."

I immediately knew that my knowledge of Ponyboy had a great effect. Every ounce of blood drained from the man's face, and his eyes widened.

"Who – " he swallowed. "Who are your orders from?"

Dear God, I did not plan this out very well.

"Classified." I said coolly. His face was still white, but the eyes narrowed.

"Well I can't give you information on that particular person without a name on who the orders are from. That is very – very secret business young man."

"And why is that?" I demanded, my temper rising. How dare he act like _my_ brother was only _his_ concern? And why the hell was my little brother his concern in the first place? Why were files bearing his name in a top-secret unit in the Pentagon? Pony had lived in the same place his entire life, and had been quiet his entire life. How on earth did he get in such a mess?

The man snarled at me. He grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me closer to him. "Do you have any idea what you are dealing with?" he shook me. "Do you? This is beyond being some newly hired intern, or a young security guard. The government of this country is far more complicated, corrupt, and secretive than you could ever imagine. The knowledge of that name could cost you your life. Now tell me, who's orders are you on?"

I gaped at his speech for a moment, unsure of what to do. The other two men in the room saw the scene, and got up from their desks hurriedly. I guess they didn't want to have any responsibility for what was happening.

Within a matter of seconds, the man and I were alone in the big room. I could hear quick footsteps and doors slamming shut. There was no one there, and no witnesses. And I could see no other way out of my situation. I had no knowledge of where I was, or how to be some professional worker of the government.

So I punched him. Right in the face. Hard.

He didn't exactly make a sound. The only noise made was by the force of my fist. I think he was mainly caught off guard, because he thought I was such an inexperienced young kid. But I'm a capable person, regardless of being raised in a sleazy part of a rather small town. Certain things can give me strength.

I took his wallet, some important looking papers, and the keys hanging from his belt. Then I got up and ran down the hall, leaving him there. Blood was gushing from his nose. I never saw him again, or found out what happened to him. Maybe I killed him. I'll never know.

It was still very silent. Every now and then I would hear footsteps, and try to be ever more quiet. There was door after door in the hallways that wound endlessly. I don't know what I was looking for, but it wasn't some boring room with a couple numbers outside of it.

Hours past, and I became slightly desperate. I felt hopelessly lost in the darkened hallways, and lost within my own mind as well. How alone I was then. No one was there to help me, and quite honestly, no one wanted to. Not my other brother back at home. I'm sure he, or any of the boys, would help me if I asked them to. But they wouldn't actually _want_ to. They didn't know Ponyboy like I did. They didn't remember him, and had never seen his big eyes or heard him explain about a book he was reading. They couldn't remember him writing a story at the kitchen table, or finally voicing something that he thought was important. I remember always loving hearing him finally talk, since he was always so silent.

I leaned against the cold wall and rested my head against it. Breaths came through my mouth and hit my ribs with painful stabs. I think on my little expedition to find Ponyboy gave me more panic attacks than I've ever had in my entire life. I honestly don't know what kept happening to me. For some reason, I just really couldn't keep my head.

_...Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me..._

_ ...For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also..._

Of course I'm not alone, I thought to myself. I will fear no evil, and search for my treasure. For that is where my heart is.

Echoing footsteps began to sound. My head whipped up and turned towards whoever might be coming down the hallway. I straightened my form and tried once again to make myself look like I knew what I was doing.

A dark-haired man with pale eyes turned the corner. He was dressed in a suit, complete with the works of someone that looks like they are in charge of a lot. I've never really been in charge of anything important, besides looking after my kid brothers. Well... maybe that is important. Making sure they don't waste their lives away and become hoods seems pretty important, I guess. Certainly more important than stealing a little boy from his home and forcing everyone he held dear to have no memories of him. Because that is just sick.

He nodded to me. I nodded back, and looked at him with wide eyes. He stopped in his tracks, looking much kinder than the last man that I was forced to punch in the face.

"Need something?" he asked me. I nodded quickly and pulled out the wallet I had stolen.

"I need to find a file room," I told him, still looking through the wallet. Hopefully some kind of badge would be in there. Something to make me more official.

He laughed softly. "There are lots of file rooms. You got a certain one in mind?"

I pulled out a badge that said, **Junior Secretary of the F Room, Eustace Wagner**. The man raised his eyebrows.

"I need the files on Ponyboy Michael Curtis." I said loudly. His light eyes flashed.

"Quite a file. And I _know_ that you aren't Eustace Wagner, son. Him and I are on a first name basis, you see."

"I know that I'm not Eustace Wagner," I said. Although, if he would have assumed that I was he, I wouldn't have denied it for a second. "He gave me this badge so I wouldn't have any trouble in getting him what he needs."

"Well – if Eustace sent you – " the man said uncertainly.

"Yes, I could use some help," I said.

He pointed to the left. "Down that hallway and take another left. Then another left. There will be a room six doors down on the right. That's your place."

I stored the information well in my mind. "Thank you," I said, trying to grin, but failing. He looked pained. I rushed away.

The door seemed like it was so easily found. Adrenaline was rushing through me as I stood outside it, hoping I could find some answers inside. I tried the handle, but the door was locked. That was to be expected. I pulled the stolen keys from my pocket and went though about four until one was successful. The door clicked open. I peered inside before I stepped in. It was a very small room, and lit by only one light bulb on the ceiling. No one else was inside.

I shut the door behind me, feeling slightly claustrophobic. There were three file cabinets inside. I went for the first one and pulled open the top drawer. I saw last names starting with A. So it was alphabetical order. I felt down to the third drawer, and saw last names with the letter C. And as my fingers picked through the tabs, I found the name, Curtis Ponyboy Michael. My heart took off in a frenzy. His file was extremely thick. I pulled the entire thing out and stuffed it in my jacket. It almost didn't fit, and slipped around often.

My exit from the Pentagon felt almost like a dream. I wasn't aware of things as I should have been. I almost think this helped me get out so quickly, because people were certainly starting to realize that something was going wrong, and my calmness helped me refrain from looking guilty.

I made my way out of the hallways, and out of the room that needed the really long code. More hallways, and doors, and worried looking people. I nodded to the guards as I stepped outside, the same way I came in. The first worker that I ambushed by the gate was gone. So some of my actions had been discovered. I climbed the gate, being sure to keep hold on my brother's file. And as soon as my feet touched ground on the other side, sirens inside the building began to go off.

**Please review! I love you all, and happy Memorial Day (yesterday). Be thankful for the beautiful country of America :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for the long waits. I think I have commitment problems :/**

**New character introduced in this chapter. Please don't judge the story by her entrance. I do not write Mary Sues.**

Forgetting a Star

The race through the forest directly behind the Pentagon was agony, but I made it through. I didn't know that so much security could be set off so quickly. Dogs barking met my ears, and yells, and the sound of helicopters. I ran and ran until I found a good tree that looked as if it would conceal me well. Making sure Pony's file was secure I jumped upwards and caught onto a branch.

_Thank God I used to climb all the trees in the neighborhood as a kid,_ I thought to myself as I pulled higher and higher. Once I was obscured well enough by branches and leaves, I sat back and stayed put. Voices came sharply from the distance; every second, they were closer.

"Search everywhere. Look in back of you, on the ground, in bushes, and in the trees." said a loud, terrifying voice.

In the trees.

Damn.

They're going to find me for sure.

The voices came closer and closer. I could hear dogs; and big ones by the sound of their steps. I put one hand over my mouth to control my breathing, and the other on the branch I was sitting on to steady me. Sunlight streamed all over the foliage, and remained high in the sky.

Crunching footsteps were soon underneath me. I bit my tongue. One man looked in the bush below my tree, but didn't look up. Another dog sniffed around my tree and barked, so his handler looked up. But I was too well into the leaves for him to see me properly. They moved on.

Men, and a few women searched very thoroughly. I remained as still as possible, praying that they would move forward soon. One young girl, wearing a long, dark green skirt and bearing a large dog on a leash looked in the bushes around my tree. Then she looked up, right through a small gap in the leaves. Our eyes made contact. Hers widened, and mine flashed with despair. I bit my tongue until it bled.

She opened her mouth, then closed it after a couple of seconds. Her dog began to bark loudly. Other men looked over at her, and she whirled around; her skirt flew with her.

"Hush, Baxter," she said mildly, crouching down and stroking the dog. "There isn't anything up there." She kept her eyes away from me.

"All right, Lisle?" said one man loudly, striding over to her. She stood up tall.

"Everything is fine," she stated calmly.

He pushed her aside a little and made a quick sweep of the area around them with his eyes. It was too quick, because he didn't see me.

"Come on," he said, taking her by the shoulder. "You aren't even supposed to be out here with us. If your father knew, I could be in a lot of trouble."

Lisle's face changed. "Fine. I'll go back then." She turned her back on the man.

"Lisle – "

"Don't try and stop me. I'm actually – " She seemed to struggle greatly with her words. "Actually a little afraid. This is too scary for me." Her eyes became huge, and her lip jutted out slightly. I smiled halfway.

The man's face became concerned. "Oh, poor Lisle," he said genuinely. "Of course you shouldn't be out here. I'll take you back, yes?"

"I can take her back!" said one man, coming forward.

"She'd rather I did, yes Lisle?" said another, coming from behind her.

The girl stepped away from them all. "Oh no, I'll go alone. I've troubled you all enough." She continued to step back. "Goodbye!"

She waved a little to them all and began to run lightly in the other direction. One of the men elbowed the other in the ribs. They both chuckled a little, looked after Lisle until she disappeared into the trees, and began to walk the other way with the rest of the men.

I stayed in that tree for well over an hour after those men were out of sight. Even when I couldn't hear their dogs anymore, I stayed in the tree. I was tempted to take out my brother's file and look through it, but didn't allow myself. It just didn't seem like the right time, or place. The sun began to set before I heard some more, lighter footsteps. I tensed all over again and placed my hand back over my mouth. My eyes strained through the dim light for the source of the noise.

"Still up there?" said a soft voice. "Come down. I want to talk to you."

I peered through my little gap and saw Lisle again. My hand fell limply to my side.

"And what happens once I do come down?" I answered.

"We talk. And I help you."

"Why would you help me?" I asked angrily. "Aren't you 'afraid'?" My tone became mocking. She grimaced.

"Of course I'm not afraid. That was all an act."

"Why did you act? You could have told them in one second that I was up here."

"But I didn't," She rested her back against the tree trunk and continued to look up at me. "Shouldn't that be enough for you?"

I looked around and decided to just resign. I had to come down sometime. If I didn't, she would probably raise some kind of alarm.

"All right," I said. "Step back, I'm coming down."

She pushed herself away from the trunk, still staring up at me. I carefully moved my way off of my branch, and slowly down. When I was about three feet from the ground, I stretched my foot to steady myself. But I must have forgotten about the extra three feet, because I let go and crashed right onto my foot. Lisle's quiet laughter sounded behind me. My frustration reached a breaking peak that I sometimes felt when Ponyboy did something to jeopardize his future.

And as his innocent face burst into my mind, that peak practically exploded. I whirled around.

"Who are you?" I said hotly to Lisle She looked taken aback by my harsh tone.

"My name is Lisle Watson," she blinked her large brown eyes rapidly. "And my father is the top secretary to the President of the United States of America."

I inhaled sharply.

"He's given me a job in the Pentagon to try and teach me a bit of the ways in the Government. So with him being so high up, and my workplace, I hear a lot of secrets."

"What do you want?" I asked flatly.

She shook her head. "This isn't like that. I'm not trying to get anything – "

"Well, then hurry up and and tell me what you're trying to do, because I don't have unlimited time."

"Your name is Darryl Curtis, or Darry,"

I shut my mouth.

She began to circle me. "Your parents died a few years ago in a car accident, leaving you to let go of your football scholarship, and care for your two younger brothers, Sodapop Patrick, and Ponyboy Micheal."

"How do you know all this?" I whispered.

"Ponyboy is the one that is missing," Lisle continued. "And Ponyboy is the reason why I am helping you."

I then had a few tears of mingled fear, and relief falling down my face.

"Do you know what happened to him?" I asked desperately.

She nodded. "It's a project. A project my father has been working on for years. There are details in that file you stole."

I began to draw the thick papers out from my head, but she shook her head again; quickly.

"Not here," she came forward and grabbed my wrist. "I have a place we can go. Follow me," I followed as she set out through the bushes and leaves. "I'll lead you back to the main road where we can get a cab."

OooOooOooOoo

"What is this place?" I asked quietly. It was dark now. The drive had been long.

We were outside a strange looking kind of cottage. It had vines creeping up the sides, and was painted white with beautiful stain-glass windows. The door had little square windows all over it. It was surrounded by forest, and to the east I could hear the ocean silently ebbing and flowing. The water sounded extremely close. I fought the urge to go and find it. Living in landlocked Tulsa, and having such tight money, my family never got to travel to the ocean. And it sounded simply beautiful.

"It's one of my family's summer homes. We're in Maryland now."

She pulled a little key from her jacket pocket. The door opened with a little click, and I followed her inside. For the first time I gathered the attention to look her up and down to actually realize her features. She was still wearing the long, dark green skirt with black button up boots and a short black jacket. It had buttons in the back, front, and on the sleeves.

_Outfit alone, _I thought bitterly to my broke self, _one-hundred dollars._

It was hard not to judge her, 'little rich girl' image. She had thick blonde hair that reached right in between her shoulder blades. The eyes were brown, and the nose was peaked up, like she was smirking at everyone. Her figure was petite, like a quiet lady that has never been allowed to think for herself. Perhaps she was bored, and saw me as an adventure. I could see no other reason of why she was helping me; unless everything was a trap.

"My mother and father used to take me here when I was very young," she explained to me, leading us into a living room. "I love the place. But it's also where my parents split up: for good. After that, my father took me back here. He hates it now. But I secretly come back at least once a year. It reminds me of when my family was happy,"

Lisle took a seat in a dusty rocking chair by the fireplace. She flickered her eyes shut and inhaled. I imagined a little golden-haired Lisle, sitting in that same rocking chair with her mother years and years ago. I found myself looking a little past her looks and daddy's girl label.

"My father would never come back here," I took a seat directly across from her. "I am sure of it."

"And no one else will come looking for you, you think?" I asked.

"I don't know; or care."

"Sorry, but why don't you care? I saw you out there in the forest. It looks like you have people watching you quite often. Isn't running off like this messing a lot up for you?"

She opened her eyes and rocked a little in the chair. "I would have cared a few months ago. That was before I started to discover what project my father was helping to coordinate. Before I became obsessed with finding a way to stop it."

The room seemed to become colder. My hands didn't steady.

"Why don't you open the file, Darry? I'm interested to see what is inside as well, although I may know some of it already."

And so, at last, I drew my brother's file out and flipped it open. I slid onto the floor and pulled out paper after paper; picture after picture. I spread them out all around me, so I could see everything. In a few minutes, Lisle joined me from her rocking chair onto the floor. I saw her eyes squint, and then become wider in intervals.

There were pictures I didn't even know existed. Ones of my mother on her wedding day, my mother as a teenager, us all as children, Dally's gravestone, Johnny's family, Sodapop and Steve in front of the DX, me holding a football. And dozens of Ponyboy doing all kinds of things that defined his life. Mine, Soda's, Dally's, Two-Bit's, Steve's, and Johnny's birth certificates were all in there, all with a big stamp that said **COPY** across it. Pony's was there too, but it seemed like the real one. A copy of my parent's marriage certificate was there, and copies of their death certificates. Dallas' and Johnny's death certificates were also there, but they were obviously the actual ones. I shuffled though notes that had lots of scientific, and terrifying things on them. I understood the gist of things.

_Experimental Attempt #95: Ponyboy Michael Curtis: Partially responsible for deaths of Johnathan Cade & Dallas Winston. _

_ Objective: 1.) Discover is a non-existing Ponyboy will bring two dead boys back to life. _

_ 2.) Discover if brothers and friends will completely forget youngest of their group._

_3.) Discover if parents could potentially come back to life if Ponyboy Curtis does not exist. _After a few minutes of shuffling and discovering, Lisle and I met eyes. I could feel my heart beating out of control.

"They erased him?" I choked out, horrified. "They erased him from existence? As some – some, _experiment?_"

She nodded, her eyes filled with tears. "I think so. I've heard my dad on the phone, and have seen files and videos on your entire life. I became extremely intrigued by your family, your situation, and your beautiful little brother. I worked out what was mainly going on, and wanted to save Ponyboy. I've been secretly working on it the best I can. That's why I was at the Pentagon, and that's why I begged to go with the men and chase after you. Because I guessed that you were part of the experiment, that went wrong."

"So – so what do we do? Where do we go?"

Lisle picked up a couple of papers under a picture of Ponyboy and I just sitting on out living room couch. Dally was in the background, eating something it looked like. I remember the day that picture was taken.

"I think I've got an idea," She whispered.

**Please review this chaotic story! Love you all and happy Fourth of July coming up soon! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry for the long wait :( Rest assured this story is not dead, and will for sure be finished :) I'm sure most of you have heard of Area 51. It's in my own home state. Fun fact for you all; The exististence of Area 51 was not known by the public until 1995. No one knew it was even in Nevada. Maybe that will help you a little bit with this chapter.**

**Happy reading.**

**P.S. Lisle's name is pronounced LEASE-ell. Not LIZ-lay. I got a couple messages asking about that. Her name is German. It means loyal helper.**

Forgetting a Star

The sound of Lisle rocking back and forth in her rocking chair echoed in my dreams. But I didn't really see pictures in my head. Just the noises of that rocking chair. I was asleep, I knew. But I also was awake at the same time.

Does that sound crazy?

Now that I look back, I think I was a little crazy in the period of time that I was looking for my brother.

"Lisle?"

"Yes?"

"Are you awake?"

She laughed a little. "Yes."

"Okay."

"I thought you were sleeping, Darry."

"I was. I woke up just now."

Her chair stopped creaking. I sat up from where I had been lying at her feet. The night before, Lisle had told me she had an idea, but wanted to ponder about it for a couple of minutes. I guess I had fallen asleep then.

My neck ached from the position on the floor I had been sleeping. The room seemed a bit hazy, so I shook my head a bit, and looked up at Lisle.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked her.

"I think around six hours. It's eight now." Her knees were drawn up to her chest, with her chin resting on top.

I stood up in a flash. "I slept for a whole six hours? What a waste of time! Why didn't you wake me?!" My voice got loud by the end. She stayed calm with her eyes wide, making a guilty feeling stir inside me. Why couldn't I keep myself under control? Why was I blowing my temper so easily? And at a girl especially.

"You needed to sleep. We have a long plane ride ahead of us." She told me, getting out of the rocking chair. I stared after her. "I've managed to plan everything out."

She started placing papers, and all kinds of trip essentials in a worn out leather satchel. I noticed how the peak in her nose made her look constantly genuine.

"You flew here, right?" She asked, searching around for something more to place in the bag.

"Yes."

"So you have your ID, and paperwork?"

"Yes."

"Perfect. We've got to get on the plane quickly. My dad probably knows I'm gone by now. And they will be looking for you. I don't exactly know how much of your wherabouts they will have, though."

She slung the bag over her shoulder. I adjusted my own, forgetting that it had been on my shoulder for almost twenty-four hours. It was black, and blended with the guard outfit that I still had on.

"So, where exactly are we going?" I followed at her heels out the door.

She looked back at me, and smiled a little. "Right across the country. To Nevada."

I stopped dead for a second. "Nevada?"

"Yup. You ever heard of Area 51?"

I shook my head. "No."

She grabbed my arms and pulled me along. "Of course not."

"What's in Area 51?" I asked Lisle. We had been in a cab for over an hour. The airport was rather far.

She gave me a cold look. "Would you keep your voice down?" she asked me. Her eyes flickered to the cab driver, who hadn't paid a speck of attention to us, besides accepting our money.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Sorry," my sarcastic whisper made her eyes squint. "Will you answer my question?"

"Sure," said Lisle, leaning against the car door. "Your brother is in Area 51."

I say nothing. But my stomach explodes in excited fear.

** Sorry it's short. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Long chapter my friends...**

Forgetting a Star

"You're kidding me."

"Come now, Darry. Why would I kid?"

"But it just doesn't make sense. How would no one know about a military base in Nevada? I've never heard of Area 51 in all my life!'

"Please, talk louder. I don't think the flight attendants in the very back can hear you."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not even being loud. Come here," I pulled her closer to me, and spoke directly in her ear. "Help me understand. I don't want to enter into this operation blindly."

She put her hand on my forearm, which steadied me. "Area 51 is a secret military base. Top secret. Its inhabitants are sworn to secrecy. The U.S. Government is sworn to secrecy."

"Why is it so secret? Why is my brother in a military base?"

Lisle sighed. "From what I've heard – "

"What have you heard?! How did you hear it?" I pressed anxiously.

"Would you let me finish please?"

"Sorry."

"Anyways – I've heard – that it's kind of a _experimentation _base. At first I thought it was just testing weapons of war. Well, I was right on that aspect. I just didn't understand what kinds of weapons they were testing."

She looked up at me, seeing if I would interrupt. When I didn't, she went on.

"When I learned that the new experiment the government was working on was being tested in Area 51, I understood. It isn't just for kicks, it has a purpose. Imagine, Darry," her voice became serene and quieter. I had to move my ear closer to her mouth. "imagine if the Communists had this idea in their minds. Their idea of how a country should be run. They have this idea, and you and I both know that they are enforcing it. But what if one night they just – forgot? Forgot their plan, and their strategy to expand. That, would be such an easier way to fight than in actual combat. Don't you think?"

I nodded. "It would, yes."

"Well, that is what they're working on. Communism is spreading like wildfire. And a war is coming, I think. I've heard talk about Vietnam issues,"

"Yeah – yeah Vietnam," I chimed. She smiled halfway.

"The President doesn't want to fight," she said, even quieter. "He thinks is would be _so_ unpopular; which is true. The experiment is about ten years in the making, I believe. But in this past year, it really picked up."

"So – so, in Area 51," I began, trying to make sense aloud. "They are experimenting this – this forgetting experiment – "

"And Pony is part of the experiment. One of many."

"Many?" I exclaimed. "There are more?"

"Of course Darry," said Lisle, surprised. "Didn't you read the report? It said Ponyboy was experiment number – ninety-five, I think?"

"Ninety-five," I repeated. Ninety-five. My brother was experiment number ninety-five. For some reason, that made me want to throw up.

We sat there in silence for a couple of minutes. I said suddenly – "Lisle, how do you know all of this?"

The plane began to speed up in landing, and Lisle gave me a nervous, and slightly – superior look. And that look was all I got. She never did tell me.

I was glad for the plane ride to be over. It had been excruciatingly long. I fell asleep for a couple of hours, and woke up so slouched down in the seat, that my head had fallen on Lisle's shoulder. She didn't even acknowledge me; only stared out of the window with wide eyes. I remember in that moment to try and think of an adjective to describe her, like Ponyboy probably would. I ended up with the words sober-minded.

As the two of us stood up to exit the plane, I glanced slightly at the other aisles. Still seated directly behind myself was a surly, stony-looking man. His eyes were icy, and fixed on Lisle and I. She didn't notice.

Maybe a crowded airplane wasn't the best place to talk about a top-secret military base that had kidnapped my kid brother.

Just maybe.

OooOooOoo

We landed in Las Vegas. At 2:00 p.m. And it was hot. Hot, hot, hot.

"It's hot." I told Lisle as we hailed down a taxi.

"Yes." she said back, raising her hand. One of the men in the yellow cars made eye contact with her, nodded, and pulled over.

"And it's September," I pointed out.

I opened the taxi door for her. As she was getting in she said, "And it's September."

"Where to?" asked the driver.

Lisle pulled out her wallet. "We need our own rental car. Do you know where one is?"

"Sure, miss. Right off of Fort Apache."

"Thank you."

"It normally isn't this hot in September," I said under my breath once the driver had started the car. Lisle gave me an exasperated look.

"Not normally, no. Would you stop acting like a child, Darry?"

I shut my mouth, slightly stung. It did dawn on me that I was acting a little strange. Maybe I was tired. Or maybe, I was just sick of acting like an adult.

Lisle and I sat in silence for a minute or so. I put my face in my hands, and Lisle decided to speak again.

"I'm sorry, Darry."

I kept my place.

"Darry, I'm sorry. My nerves are just out of control right now."

"So are mine," I said with my face still covered. It made my voice muffled.

"I'm afraid, Darry." her voice was softly calm. But I knew that she had wanted to say aloud the word 'afraid' for a while.

I sat up straight again and took a deep, shuddering breath. I thought of whatever the hell Area 51 was, and more guards, and more guns, and more codes that we would have to break through, and the pain that could happen. I thought of them killing Lisle, or killing me before I could ever find Ponyboy. I thought of him, and thought of his thoughts. His thoughts about sunsets, how every person is equal, and what matters most. I wondered what was happening to him at that very moment. I had no time to be afraid. But I was.

My eyes met Lisle's. I put my arm around her. It was the first time I had put my arm around a girl since after the graduation party of my senior year. Cassidy Hallis. I liked her. I didn't like Lisle. I exalted her. There was no shiver down my spine when I touched her, or heat at the back of my neck. There is just a certain comfort you find in a person when you're afraid. I'm pretty sure she needed that too.

The cabbie looked at us through his rear-view mirror and smiled. "Honeymoon in Vegas, I assume?"

Lisle and I looked at each other. She grinned, and I shrugged.

"Yes, sir," I told him. "You are correct."

OooOooOoo

When we arrived at the rental store, another yellow cab stopped behind ours. And out of it came the man that had been sitting behind us on our flight.

"Lisle," I said, grabbing her by the elbow. "Don't look back, but we need to avoid the man behind us."

She looked straight ahead. "Why?"

"Because he sat behind us on the plane ride. And I'm pretty sure he heard our conversation."

She bit her lip, and turned pale. The two of us walked up to the counter, and Lisle began ordering a car. I listened to what she was saying at first, but my attention was soon taken by a Television program being played in a corner.

"And our breaking story of the day. Last night it was reported that the Secretary of State's daughter, Lisle Thomas, is missing. She was said last to be helping on some sort of – "

"Your name, hon?" asked the man behind the desk, snapping me out of my thoughts. Lisle obviously hadn't heard the newscast.

"Lis – "

"Ben Parks." I said quickly, interrupting her. "I'll put in under my name. Ben Parks"

The man gave me a funny look, but wrote it down anyways. Once we were finished, we turned to leave. Our 'friend' from the plane was watching the newscast with rapt attention. He turned, and saw me frozen, watching him.

His smile was terrible. He pointed to a picture of Lisle on the screen. "Good likeness, don't you think?"

Lisle's mouth hung open, and I grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the door.

OooOooOoo

"I know that man, Darry. He works with my father. What are we going to do?"

"We're gonna drive."

"He completely knows."

"We have lots of driving to do."

"Did you see his smile? He knows everything, Darry."

"He doesn't know my Grandpa's middle name. It was Apple. Never did find out why."

Lisle slammed her palm against the dashboard. It made a loud, slapping sound.

"Once again, would you stop acting like a complete, childish, _idiot_, Darry?" she screeched. "What are we going to do?! What is the plan?"

I swerved to the side of the road, pulled over, and parked. The car jerked forward. I unbuckled my seatbelt, and turned to face Lisle. She looked almost afraid. Like I was going to hit her. But I would never. Even though I've done it quite a few times, I don't like hitting people. And I could never hit someone like Lisle.

I held out both of my hands to Lisle. "We're going to pray," I told her firmly. Her eyes filled with tears. I thought of everything she had given up for this mission. Her reputation, her freedom, her family, probably her friends, and maybe even wealth. And now it was all falling apart. She unbuckled her seatbelt as well, and joined hands with me. I pressed my mouth to her hands, and she mine. Our foreheads met.

"You say it," she whispered.

OooOooOoo

Right when I said the word 'Amen', we could hear helicopters above us. And sirens. And yelling.

OooOooOoo

Lisle's hands shook, and her face was the color of milk. I wondered if they would want to question us, or if they would just shoot down the car.

"Come out of the car, slowly with your hands up! You have over twenty sharpshooters pointed at you, and we don't care who we hit!" The voice was extremely loud. Helicopter blades beat against my ears.

"Come on, Lisle." I said. Tears poured down her face. We opened our doors simultaneously.

Right as we stepped outside, it seemed like we were mobbed. At least ten pairs of hands seized my arms, and pinned me to the ground. I felt my cheek hit the gravel, and cut. Rage bubbled in my stomach at the thought of Lisle being thrown to the ground.

I was dragged around the rental car. I saw Lisle fighting, and being dragged as well. We were placed beside each other, with two sets of hands on our upper arms. In front of us, strode the man from the plane.

He smirked. "Well, well. It's Lady Lisle and her JD companion. You two sure do talk loud."

My jaw was set. "Then you know what I'm looking for." It wasn't a question, but a firm statement.

"I do," he said sleekly. "I do, indeed." he held out his hand, as if to shake mine. "Marty Sines." he said. I glared down at his hand, and my guards tightened their grip on me. He dropped his arm, laughing. I looked sideways at Lisle.

"What I don't understand," he said, pacing. "Is how you got wrapped into all of this, Lise."

"I heard about your guys' bastard of a plan months ago. My humane instinct made me want to act." she scowled. Marty Sines frowned.

"Lise, you were threatened by this man. He forced you to come with him."

"I wasn't either," she said furiously.

"Yes you were," his voice was forceful and evil. "Tell me you were, and we'll take you home right now."

I tried to catch her eye, to let her know that it was okay with me if she said such a thing. But her head didn't turn at all. Blood from my slam to the ground dribbled a little from my mouth. I didn't want to swallow.

"I would rather die."

"Little girl, that can so easily be arranged."

My fury reached the point of murder. I wanted to _kill_ Sines. I wanted him dead. Right then.

"Burn in hell," I cried to him. "You burn right in hell. You'd really kill a young girl?"

He looked to me, and smiled with all teeth. "I really would. I'd also torture a little fourteen year old boy with a stupid name."

Lisle groaned as if in pain. I felt like someone had just stabbed me in the stomach, and then twisted the knife.

I went wild.

My legs kicked forward, and I struggled viciously. Sines cackled, and I spit the blood in my mouth right at his face. He wiped it, steaming, and advanced towards me. I shot my foot forward, as hard as I possibly could right into his shin. He cried out in pain.

"Take them to the Base!" he bellowed over his shoulder. "Knock them out, and get them over there!"

I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head, and felt the consciousness slip from my body. My knees gave way, and I heard distantly, "Darry!" from Lisle.

** Reviews would be wonderful, please :)**


	13. Chapter 13

Forgetting a Star

"Hey, Darry."

_Glory, I _knew_ that voice._

"Feels like I haven't seen you in forever, Darry."

_ Not Soda's sunny tone. Not Dally's cold drawl. Not Two-Bit's humor. Not Johnny's brokenness. Not Steve's bitter words. Not any of them. The voice is childish, and soft._

"You all right Darry? Is this my fault? Gosh, I really don't use my head."

_ Yes you do. What goes on in your head is just different than what goes on in mine. I understand that now. _

"I miss you Darry."

_ I miss you too Pony. God, I miss you. _

"What is going on, Darry? Tell me what's going on! What did I do wrong?!"

_ Kiddo I don't know. I have no clue about anything anymore. I really don't even know what I've been doing. The past days have just been me, running around and getting into a load of trouble. I've failed you._

"Oh hooray, it's you again."

_ Who?_

"Leave him alone!"

_ Leave _me_ alone? Who are you talking about?_

"Please don't. Please, please don't. Wait! WAIT!"

_ Pony? What's wrong? Baby, what's the matter?_

"Darry!"

_ It's pitch dark. I can't see. What is happening? What is going on?_

I was dragged. Or, I think I was. Down a hallway maybe. I remember coming to, and being able to see again once I was forcefully propped up in a chair. The light came very slowly. And I remembered a sort of excitement in my stomach. Had I just heard my brother? Was he here in the building?

I heard another voice say, "Darry."

Pony!

"Wake him up, girl." That voice was rough and heated. "We can't figure anything out unless you wake him up."

"Darry," It wasn't Pony. It was Lisle. My excitement diminished. "Darry, please wake up." A hand touched my face.

The light continued to become brighter, and the first thing I saw was Lisle's face. And I'll be blunt with this by saying that she certainly did not look her best.

I blinked my eyes. Lisle and I were in a dim room. I sat in a chair, and Lisle knelt in front of me. There were over ten, solemn-looking men standing behind her.

Something wet trailed down the side of my head. I reached my hand up to touch it, and came away strikingly red. Everything from my head to my feet ached and smarted.

"Hey – hey Lise – " I stumbled. My words sounded grovely. I think there was blood in my mouth.

She ran her thumb softly on the top of my cheekbone. "Hey, Darry."

I looked at her closer, trying to see if she was all right. My vision was hazy, but I could make out a trickle of blood around her eyebrow, and deep scratches on her wrists and hands.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

She smiled, defeated. "Yes."

One of the men stepped forward and roughly pushed Lisle out of the way. He had an angry face. He was so well built, and she was so small, that she fell right to the ground. Her hands could barely stop the fall.

That infuriated me. I don't like anything weaker being picked on by something stronger. Like men hitting women, or soldiers kidnapping fourteen year old boys.

"Hey!"

"Enough small talk," the man snarled. "Tell us everything you know, _now_. Or we resort to – other methods."

"I'll tell you, gladly," I told him, dauntless. "You effing bastards kidnapped my brother and erased him from the records of the world. You made everyone forget him for some damn experiment against the Communists. But you screwed up. You screwed up like idiots. Cause people still remember him. Including me."

The man's hand slammed into my throat, and his other hand yanked my hair, pulling my head back. Lisle, and the other men standing in the shadows all jumped. Most of the men looked apprehensive, as if they knew what they were doing had been a failure, and was also extremely wrong. Lisle had tears shining in her eyes.

I felt the wound in my head hurt even more. "Tell me who else knows!" he screamed in my face. "Tell me NOW!"

I stared him down. No way in hell would I ever give away Pony's principal, James. Nothing could make me.

We waited in tense silence for nearly a minute, while he waited for me to talk. Once he realized I was keeping my mouth shut, he ordered to the other men.

"Get Sines."

Lisle burst into tears.

"Please don't," she wailed. "Just leave him alone. Please – please – "

"Shut up! Maybe if you keep your trap shut, _you'll_ die painlessly."

Lisle buried her face in her hands, the entire frame of herself wracking in sobs. I stared at her imploringly.

"It's okay, Lisle." I told her gently. The man still holding my hair laughed.

"In a couple of hours it sure as hell wont be. Who is getting Sines?"

The men shifted uncomfortably, and looked at one another. One man with closely cropped, black hair and a long nose sighed a long sigh. He stepped forward.

"We don't need Sines for this," he said tiredly. The angry faced man holding my hair let go, looking astonished.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we don't need him. The ten of us invented this experiment, and the ten of us can end it. It obviously hasn't worked, because so many we tried it on had at least one person that didn't forget."

I smirked. "Did they all track you down to America's secret military base?"

The black haired man turned to me. His eyes were kinder. "No. None of them flew to D.C. and broke into the Pentagon, either. You've got guts, son."

I smiled crookedly. "Thanks."

He looked almost proud of me. Then he turned back away.

"We'll end it today. There are other military tactics to attempt. Ones that don't defy the laws of nature, and God."

The other men seemed to agree, but the angry man laughed harshly. "God? Lets not be daft here, Naylor!"

More men stepped forward. Some looked furious. "Don't you dare be disrespectful." said one.

"This is wrong. You know it is."

"We cannot keep this up."

"I've had a bad feeling about this experiment from the beginning."

The black haired man, who I guess was named Naylor raised his hand up. The other men fell silent, and the one who had attacked me from the beginning looked simply furious. He scanned the room, and ended with the trembling Lisle, still on the floor. He was completely red in the face.

"So you all just want to – give up?" he said, deadly quiet. "You're quitting?"

"Quitting what?" cried Naylor. "Quitting taking children from parents, siblings from siblings? Quitting ruining people's lives? If that is what we are quitting, then I am all for it! And immediately!"

The entire room was silent. The angry man had a strange look on his face. My breath was slightly staggered. Naylor looked to me, and I felt somewhere in my heart that Ponyboy was definitely in the building. If these men didn't decide in my favor, possibly the final chance I would have to rescue my brother would be impossible. The time had come to beg.

"Please," I whispered to them all. "I'll do anything. I'll never, ever tell what happened. I'll – I'll – I don't know what I can do. But I'll do it. If you'll just give him back to me." my voice started to break, and I knew that the tears were coming. Lisle sat up on her knees, and look up at the men.

Naylor was looking at me with a pained expression, and half the men looked a little ashamed. I started again, willing my words to be heard thoroughly by them, and maybe God. "He – he represents everything good about the world. He understands life. You should hear the school theme he wrote – all about how everyone is equal. He could be such – such a star," the tears were flowing. Glory, I just wanted that kid back. "And that is what you guys are doing. You're causing the world to forget a star. Please – please don't – "

"Goddamn it, just give him his brother back you bunch of pussies." said my first, angry attacker shortly. I wonder what his name was. "Or don't. Whatever, I don't care." I could hear his voice shaking. The man began walking out of the room. "I wash my hands of this." And he was gone.

"Cowardly Pilate," said Naylor. He knelt in front of me. "We're going to fix things, men," he announced to the others in the room. Lisle clapped her hands over her mouth, and I felt a sort of joy rushing through me. Many voices began going at once.

"I'll get supplies Naylor."

"God, I'm so glad we're doing this."

"Should we tell Sines and his men?"

"_Hell_ no. Leave them out of it. We can make them forget."

"Over here, Calvin."

"Yes, sir,"

I looked around at everyone, and at the room I was in. There were doors along the walls, that I guessed supplies and laboratories were held.

Naylor still knelt in front of me. He was giving orders. "Is – is Pony in one of those – " I began to ask.

"No," said Naylor quickly. "No, he isn't around here."

"Can you bring him here?"

Naylor looked at me a little sadly. "You'll have him soon enough Darry. I promise."

I nodded mutely.

"Was – was that man's name Pilate?" I asked Naylor, trying to break silence. He looked at me kind of oddly.

"The man that just stormed from the room?"

"Yeah."

"No."

"No? But you – never mind." We didn't speak once more, and the men continued to bustle about.

"I'm so sorry." Naylor said guiltily. I shook my head.

"You're a good man. Thank you."

He smiled quietly. "Everything will be fixed. We can fix this."

Fixed. Oh glory, heaven thank you. Everything could be fixed. And once I had my brother, I would be better. I promised myself that. I would make myself worthy to keep him, and remember him.

I felt a gentle pressure on my knee, and I looked down to see a red-eyed Lisle. I felt such a rush of gratitude, thankfulness and affection for her, that I just dropped out of my chair to the ground, and wrapped my arms around her.

"Thank you, Lise. Thank you, thank you." I whispered in her ear.

She put her hand on the back of my head and squeezed back. "I would do it again, Darry."

We stayed wrapped together, so thankful for goodness when I received a tap on the shoulder.

"Now listen, Darry," said Naylor calmly. "Keep your brothers safe, and have a good life. You and your brothers cannot enter, or be drafted into the U.S. Army. In fact, just keep your family away from the government entirely."

"Gladly." I said, trying to refrain from rolling my eyes.

Naylor looked at a tall man behind him. "Tanner, if you will."

The man, Tanner, proceeded forward to me, pulling out a long syringe. I looked at it with wide eyes, and experienced a dark fear.

"Wait – wait Naylor," I said, scooting away. I pulled Lisle with me.

"Stay calm, Darry," Naylor told me.

"Naylor what are you doing?"

"We're fixing things, Darry."

"How? How are you fixing things?! Don't make me forget Naylor. I want him back, I want him back! Don't make me forget!" My voice was heartbreakingly desperate. Lisle dug her nails into my arm.

"We aren't making you forget Darry," said Naylor. He looked like the sorriest person I had ever seen in all my life. "Just trust me."

Tanner took my forearm, and injected the needle into it. I struggled viciously, but felt the pinprick anyways.

The effect was instantaneous. Like cold water rushing through my bloodstream, and icing my veins. My head felt heavy.

"Catch him, Lisle!"

I looked up at her, wondering – wondering. "What about her? Naylor? What about Lisle?"

"She will be safe, Darry. I promise." his voice was gentle. "And you will be safe. Once you wake up, your family will be reunited."

"Don't break your promise, Naylor." I said to him drowsily. I think he retorted, but that was lost. My eyes looked up at the ceiling, and caught something yellow. Sun? Light? Lisle? Lisle. Her blonde hair. She had my head cradled in her lap I think. I saw Tanner gesture for her forearm as well. She bit her lip.

The darkness of being unconsciousness was nearly there. "Will I ever see you again?" I mumbled to Lisle.

"I don't know, Darry."

"I hope I do."

"Hush, Darry." her voice shook.

"I hope you're happy. I hope – I hope you go back to that cottage and raise a family there while you rock in the rocking chair. And – and you – "

About then I stopped talking. And someone was stroking my hair.

OooOooOoo

"Hey, Darry. Darry, wake up. It's noon Darry, you've gotta wake up."

My head ached, and my eyes opened. I was laying on a lumpy couch. A couch in a living room. A living room in a worn out house. A worn out house I knew, and had a little boy kneeling next to his sleepy brother.

The boy's face broke into a nervous grin. "Glory, finally. I was starting to think you were dead."

I shot straight up, threw my legs over the side of the couch, and took my youngest brother's face in my hands. There he was; complete with the big, green eyes, the faded blonde hair, that short peak in his nose, and the constant look of interest in his face. He was there, he was perfect, and he _was_. I pulled him to me, not caring if he was surprised. All I wanted was to hug that kid, and understand that what was happening, was real.

** One chapter left, be looking out for that.**

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	14. Chapter 14

**Hey. Thanks for all the reviews. You guys help me so much. By the end of this chapter, tell me what you think. What was your favorite part, and what didn't you like? I'm always trying to learn more about this whole writing world :)**

Forgetting a Star

I cupped his chin in my hand, and turned his face from side to side. The skin was relatively clear, besides a couple scratches, and a slight bruise around his cheek. That was from me slapping him, maybe a million years ago.

_"I'd also torture a little fourteen-year-old boy with a stupid name,"_ Sines cackled in my mind. Panic gripped me. I took Pony's wrists in my hands, and examined his arms, checked his face again (which looked extremely confused) and the top of his head. Had Sines tortured my brother? He looked pretty okay to me.

"Darry?" said Pony, pushing my hand off his wrist. "What are you doing?"

I stared at him with big eyes, and understood that he didn't remember. Then why did I remember? Had Naylor ordered for both of us to be knocked out, and our memories wiped? Maybe my mind just refused to forget again.

My head shook, and I forced a smile. I didn't want to freak him out. "Nothing, you just startled me is all," It dawned on me that all he was really thinking of was the fight we had. While that fight seemed like a grain of sand along the beach to me, it was clear that he had something to say about it.

"Listen, Darry," he said, looking at his feet. His knees were drawn up to his chest. "I kinda get why you were so upset last night. And – and I was thinking about everything you've done for me." his voice broke. I stared at him. "And, I'm so thankful. Soda told me what he said, and I guess you were beating yourself up pretty bad last night. I'm sorry – "

"No," I interrupted. "No, Pony," I slid off the couch, and knelt next to him. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. For everything." He saw it as just a normal apology, but for me, it felt like gold for everything to be accounted for. Even if he didn't know what it was.

I put my hand on his shoulder, and looked him right in the face. His hair stuck up everywhere.

"That's okay, Darry." he smiled halfway. "You're a good brother."

The two of us smiled even wider, and I ruffled his hair. As we were standing up, the front door swung open. I turned my head to see Soda, Steve and Two-Bit striding inside. When they saw Pony and I, they stopped in their tracks, looking slightly nervous.

I completely forgot that Soda probably had no idea what had happened. My heart told my brain what to do, which was running at Soda, and engulfing him in a tight hug. I had been so focused on the adventure of finding Ponyboy, that I hadn't realized how much I missed Sodapop. When I pulled away from the hug, I looked him in the face like I had Ponyboy. And I felt this horrible knot in my stomach disappear. One of the worst things about Pony being missing, was Soda. Because he had been such a hauntingly different person. But once again, in a Pony universe, he was glowing and happy. The influence of innocence is always a good one. And Soda really needs that sometimes.

Right as I was about to turn around to greet Steve and Two-Bit, Soda asked, "So – so are you two good again?"

I was looking at the boys, but Pony piped up, "Yeah, we're okay. Everything's fine."

Soda's face changed to relief, and Steve smirked. "Curtis brother fights never last long." He said.

"One lasted for almost a week!" laughed Soda.

Two-Bit clapped Pony on the shoulder and started for the kitchen. On his way, he called back, "Well, when me and my sister fight, it never ends. She still whines about stuff I said when she was two years old."

The boys chattered and messed around. Pony looked at me sideways as he went into the kitchen along with Steve and Soda. I could hear Steve whining about how his dad never feeds him. But I didn't follow them. I stayed rooted in the living room, slightly dazed. It was as if I had passed through an entirely different world. For some reason, I randomly wanted to hear someone call Two-Bit by his name.

As I made my way into the kitchen, and saw the four boys pulling food out of the cupboards, a dark, strange feeling rose in me. Something that caught my eye, was the calender on the fridge. It was set to March. But it seemed like only hours ago that I had been demanding why it was set to September. I was demanding why Johnny and Dallas were alive, and why no one knew who my youngest brother was.

While I looked at that calender, and felt uncomfortable gazes set on me, a thought came to my mind. What if everything had been just that? What if it really was just a few hours ago?

What if everything had been just a dream?

OooOooOoo

A day passed. I wondered where Pony's theme was. It had been in my satchel, which was no where to be found.

OooOooOoo

A week passed. I went to work. Ponyboy went to school. I asked him if he ever saw his principal, James. He told me that James had moved to Ohio. The high school's new principal was some lady.

OooOooOoo

Three weeks past. I started going a little crazy. How was I ever supposed to know if what had happened to me was real? Was it a dream? What was anything? Who were my parents, who was Johnny, who was Ponyboy, or Dallas, or Soda? Did any of them ever really exist? How could anything exist, if it could just be dreamed or forgotten?

OooOooOoo

Two months past. Spring was in full bloom. I decided that it had been a dream. I lie to myself all the time, but I never believe me.

The exact same thing my brother does. We're more alike than the two of us think sometimes.

OooOooOoo

At the very end of May, I wanted to make a phone call. Just to be sure, I told myself. Only to be sure. I looked up the number in the phone book. I also looked up the area code for Ohio.

After four rings, someone answered. A man. "Hello?" He said.

I swallowed. "Hello – um, my name is Darry Curtis. Is this James?"

The man paused. "Yes, this is he. Your name is Darry Curtis?"

He didn't sound surprised at all by my name. In fact, he sounded confused. "Yes," I said.

There was an awkward silence. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?" He said rather apologetically.

My heart dropped. "No," I said. "Nevermind. You don't."

OooOooOoo

Two days after Ponyboy's birthday, someone finally moved into the vacant house across the street. I remember thinking that whoever was moving in probably didn't have a lot of money at all, because that house was worth pretty much nothing.

"Check it out," I heard Two-Bit scoff. He was looking out the window.

Ponyboy was sitting on the couch, with homework in his lap. Steve and Soda were at work.

I made my way over to the window to see what Two-Bit was looking at. Pony did the same.

"Girl can't move into her house," he said. Right across the street was a girl with thick blonde hair. She was trying to lift a heavy looking box, but failing. Her stature was very small.

My heartbeat quickened.

"We ought to help her," said Pony softly.

"No – you do your homework," I told him in a sort of choked voice. The two of them looked at me, but I was already making my way out the door.

It was hot and humid outside. I looked up at the sky, and then down at my feet.

"Need a hand?" I asked the girl from behind. She jumped.

Her hands set the slipping box down, allowing her to turn around slowly. Her face looked older than it had when I last saw it.

It had been a dream, I told myself. I looked at her, and thought ItwasadreamItwasadream over and over again. There was no way she could remember. It was just some freaky coincidence that the girl had moved into a house directly across from me.

But the thing that proved that theory wrong, was her face holding recognition for me.

"Hi," I said smoothly, holding out my hand. "I'm Darry Curtis. I live across the street."

She shook my hand, and looked at me slightly imploringly. "I'm Lisle Thomas."

I looked back at my house, and saw Two-Bit and Pony peeking at me through the window. Two-Bit winked at me. I grinned.

When I looked back at Lisle it looked like she wanted to say something, but was too afraid. "Do you – " She bit her lip, and looked around. "Do you remember?"

"Yes, Lisle," my voice was very quiet. "I do."

Tears pooled in her eyes, and I could practically feel her relief seeping into me as she threw her arms around my shoulders. She, just like me, had thought herself to be crazy, or just a dreamer. And she had looked for me to understand.

And then I understood. And I decided that it was good to understand, but it was also good to let things go. If Lisle and I ever were anything, we would never talk about what had happened because it was in the past. It had happened, and that was it. Why dwell on it? I had my brother, and he was becoming so much. That was perfectly, in every way, enough.

The End.


End file.
